2018: THE RECORD-BREAKING YEAR OF WISSAM BEN YEDDER

In the 91st minute of Sevilla FC's last match of 2018 with Leganés, all the points seemed lost. But as he so often and so reliably does, Wissam Ben Yedder popped up to rescue the Nervionenses, closing out the year and starting his winter break having achieved historic numbers in Sevilla colours. With that final all-important goal in Butarque, the French striker scored his 22nd goal of the calendar year - 24 should you include his goals in Europa League qualification against Újpest.

It would only take Ben Yedder 14 matchweeks - in the Mendizorroza against Alavés - to reach his 21st goal of the calendar year, a feat which has achieved at Sevilla FC since 2009. Once again finding an important Sevilla equaliser in that game, he would put himself just one away from Fréderic Kanouté's historic record set in 2009 - certainly good company.  

No striker had surpassed 20 league goals in a calendar year since Kanouté in 2009 

Since Kanouté nearly a decade ago, every 365 days, Sevilla strikers had been seemingly stuck at the figure of 20 goals every year: Kanouté in 2010, Negredo in 2011, 2012 and 2013, Bacca in 2014, Gameiro in 2015 and 2016 and Ben Yedder in 2017; but it would be this year that the little poacher, who joined in 2016 under the instruction of Jorge Sampaoli, would break the curse and put his name in the history books.

The fabulous year of Ben Yedder becomes all the more impressive when you consider his difficult run out of the team under the management of Montella, and that he did not start in Pablo Machín's first league game in charge. Now one of Machín's first names on the team-sheet, Ben Yedder is not just scoring goals with unprecedented consistency but is also playing a crucial role in releasing the creative capacities of André Silva and Pablo Sarabia - who he has formed a deadly trio with in the 2018/19 season. More of the same please, Wissam!