Artem Dovbyk may have finished as La Liga’s top scorer, but he’s hardly a household name across Europe. With a move to Atlético Madrid reportedly on the horizon, his reputation could rise much further.
Artem Dovbyk’s very last shot of the 2023-24 season was one to remember. The striker slotted in a 90th-minute penalty in Girona’s 7-0 victory over Granada on the final day, taking his La Liga tally to 24 goals and earning the Pichichi trophy. It marked the first time that La Liga’s top scorer award had been won by a player outside of Barcelona or Real Madrid in 15 years, since Diego Forlán did so for Atlético Madrid in 2008-09.
Yet Dovbyk’s golden boot achievement wasn’t entirely plain sailing. Heading into the final matchday of the season, the Ukrainian trailed Villarreal’s Alexander Sørloth by two goals in the top-scorer race. However, his penalty, as insignificant as it seemed in a 7-0 win, secured his hat-trick on the night, taking him one above Sørloth in the standings, leaving an anxious wait for Villarreal’s game the following day.
Sørloth was forced off with injury after just 17 minutes of his side’s visit to Osasuna having failed to find the back of the net, sealing Dovbyk’s award. The accolade meant that he became just the second Ukrainian to win a golden boot in one of the big five European leagues, after Andriy Shevchenko for Milan in 2003-04 (also 24 goals).
It was also a collective achievement for the Catalonian side. Girona were undoubtedly one of the stories of the season in Spain, exceeding all expectations to impressively clinch third place, with poster boy Dovbyk at the heart of their tremendous form. The Ukrainian led the line imperiously for Michel’s side – helping fire them to European qualification for the very first time in their history.
It was a seamless transition into Spanish football for Dovbyk, who joined Girona for a modest fee of €7.75million last summer from Ukrainian side SC Dnipro-1, although it wasn’t the 26-year-old’s first foray outside of domestic football in Ukraine. He previously spent two seasons with Danish club FC Midtjylland but struggled to make an impact and soon returned to his homeland.
It was here with Dnipro-1 that Dovbyk was able to revitalise his career. He finished as the Ukrainian Premier League top scorer with 24 goals in 2022-23, catching the eye of the City Football Group, who own Girona. They were seeking a replacement for forward Taty Castellanos and turned to Dovbyk to fill the void of their departing top scorer. It was a decision that has certainly paid dividends.
Dovbyk instantly hit the ground running at Montilivi, scoring just eight minutes into his debut with a towering header to rescue a point at Real Sociedad. It should have read as an ominous warning, with the striker proceeding to wreak havoc upon opposition defences all campaign. He quickly adopted the role as the figurehead of Girona’s prolific attack – an attack that scored a whopping 85 league goals and the most of any club in a single La Liga season outside of Real Madrid or Barcelona since Athletic Club in 1950-51 (88).
Overall, he was a revelation for the Catalonians, recording 24 goals and eight assists in 36 league appearances. In fact, only Harry Kane (44), Kylian Mbappé (34) and Cole Palmer (33) managed more direct goal involvements than Dovbyk (32) in the big five European leagues in 2023-24.
Dovbyk was the focal point of the Girona side, operating as the lone striker in Michel’s 4-2-3-1 set-up, and the talisman wasted little time in making his mark. He quickly acclimatised to the tempo of the Spanish top flight, proving himself as one of the most clinical frontmen in Europe.
He’s undoubtedly at his most effective in the penalty area. He took 203 touches in the opposition box last season, the third most of any La Liga player behind Real Madrid duo Rodrygo (222) and Vinícius Júnior (221). Overall, a staggering 31% of Dovbyk’s overall touches came in the opponent’s box – the highest percentage of any player in Europe’s big five leagues.
He is excellent at finding space in the area via perfectly-timed runs and deft movements out of the defender’s eyeline. This enables him to pull away from his marker and provide an option in the box for a teammate, with no player receiving more open-play crosses in La Liga last term than Dovbyk (40). He formed a particularly good understanding with the side’s wingers Sávio and compatriot Viktor Tsygankov, with the trio’s interchanges appearing telepathic at times.
The striker displayed a real knack for finding the back of the net. Not one to overcomplicate things once in the box, always seeking to fire instinctive first-time finishes past goalkeepers before they have a chance to react. And his underlying numbers spoke for themselves. He averaged the most expected goals both overall (0.84) and from non-penalty shots (0.62) per 90 in La Liga last season.
At 6-foot-2, Dovbyk is an almighty presence in the box. Extremely dominant in the air, the striker’s beating of opposition defenders has became an all too familiar sight. Indeed, only Sørloth (7) scored more headed goals than him last season (6).
He is one of the most powerful strikers in transition and was the spearhead of Michel’s side’s multi-pronged attacks. Acting as a constant nuisance inside the width of the 18-yard box, Dovbyk added a whole new dimension to Girona’s play – applying the final touch to intricate moves time and again.
The Ukrainian showed himself to be a real handful for opposition defenders, as he looked to attack each and every delivery that came soaring into the penalty box. This, in turn, saw him score a variety of goals. He ranked inside La Liga’s top 10 for both shots (85) and shots on target (46), while only Harry Kane (30.6) and Erling Haaland (29.3) accumulated a higher xG tally than Dovbyk (24.3) in Europe’s big five leagues.
Yet Dovbyk is so much more than just a goal poacher. He is not afraid to drop deep to collect the ball and bounce it out to another teammate for third-man combinations. Utilising his frame, he can pin central defenders with his back to goal and bring onrushing teammates into play. At Girona, deep-lying playmakers Daley Blind and Aleix García seeked to capitalise on this, using Dovbyk as a constant outlet to bypass the opposition press.
The Ukrainian’s presence immediately attracts defenders, which results in them being dragged out of position. The talisman often occupies numerous opponents to create space for his attacking teammates. He is surprisingly nimble for a man of his frame, while equally capable of combining with teammates to exploit space in behind opposition back lines. More than accomplished at making the ball stick, Dovbyk was a great help in dragging his side up the pitch.
The 26-year-old has accrued several impressive records during his short time at Montilivi, with his 24 league strikes seeing him break club stalwart Cristhian Stuani’s record for most goals by a Girona player in a single La Liga campaign (21 in 2017-18).
Euro 2024 had the potential to top off an excellent season for Dovbyk, but he and his nation both failed to impress in Germany. Exiting the group stage with just two goals scored overall, Ukraine were unable to rely on their main striker, with Dovbyk goalless across 247 minutes of action in which he mustered only six shots.
Despite a poor Euro 2024 campaign, however, the striker is currently one of the hottest properties on the transfer market and it seems like Atlético Madrid have won the race for his signature.
Diego Simeone’s side finished one place and five points behind Girona in La Liga last season, but historically are a far bigger club than the Catalonians. Having lost Álvaro Morata to Milan and let Memphis Depay leave on a free transfer, Atlético need a striker to pick up the goalscoring slack. Dovbyk can be that man.
He already holds the tag of the Girona’s record signing after his switch from Dnipro-1 last summer, and it would come as little surprise if he was to become their greatest ever sale, too.
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