Álex Baena: a perfect-10 start to the season for Atlético

The Roquetas de Mar native is leading Atlético de Madrid through a brilliant start to the season. As Simeone puts it, "the World Cup has done him a lot of good". Baena is flying at Atleti.

This Álex Baena bears no resemblance to the one of last season. If injuries and an unexpected appendicitis operation weighed down his previous campaign, in this start to the season the Almería-born player is proving decisive in Atlético de Madrid's strong form. The figures don't lie: Álex Baena is having a huge impact. His numbers are tremendous: he has played eleven matches across the two competitions (LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League), scoring five goals and providing three assists.

In his last match, Baena won the game for Atlético de Madrid. It is Atleti's sixth consecutive victory of the campaign. Álex unleashed a crisp strike that beat Fortuño and secured all 3 points for Atleti at the RCDE Stadium, with a genuine stunner into the top corner at the end of the 90 minutes that left the Espanyol goalkeeper helpless.

Baena is flying in this start to the season and is seeing a great deal of the goal. His victims have been Málaga on the opening day of the league season, Sevilla with a brace at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Osasuna at home, and Espanyol.

The Almería-born player's confidence is sky-high after winning the World Cup with Spain last summer. On top of that, during the September and October international breaks, Baena scored two goals and provided one assist for 'La Roja', as the Spanish national team is known. Baena is simply in a sweet spell...