Who are best three La Liga players this season - outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid?

Everybody knows how good Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Luis Suarez are. But who are the players making a name for themselves away from Barcelona and Real Madrid?

Koke (Atletico Madrid)

An obvious choice to begin with. The industrious midfielder has been the outstanding player outside of Real and Barca for the past three years and is known in Spain as 'the new Xavi'. There isn't much higher praise than that.

Still only 23 years old, Koke is the poster boy for Spain's post-World Cup national team - and they are in good hands. It is easy to see why he is compared to Xavi: he is an excellent passer of the ball, plays the short game very well and, quite simply, is the best midfielder in Spain at the moment.

Yet the two are different players. Koke is more direct than Xavi and one of his defining qualities is his work ethic, which makes him ideal for a team coached by Diego Simeone. Koke was instrumental in Atleti's title-winning season and played a huge role as they came within minutes of winning the Champions League. Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have more assists in the last three seasons.

All of this has the biggest clubs in the world - most notably Chelsea - willing to activate his £44million release clause. But what makes him even more endearing is his desire to stay with Atletico Madrid, in the city where he was raised. Just this week he admitted he would like to be "Atleti's Gerrard". But Koke is already one ahead of the Liverpool stalwart - he's won a league title.

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

France have been missing an exciting winger-come-forward ever since Thierry Henry retired and they finally have one in Antoine Griezmann. Real Madrid's Karim Benzema is the out-and-out striker but Griezmann, even at 24, is the new kid on the block and he is incredibly exciting to watch.

Admittedly, Griezman failed to set the World Cup alight in 2014 but in terms of raw ability, nobody can argue he has talent. He was a fans' favourite at Real Sociedad and that hasn't changed since moving to Los Rojiblancos, for whom he scored 22 La Liga goals in his debut season - beaten only by Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar in 2014-15.

Primarly a left-sided forward, Griezmann is at his best when he drifts inside along the front line and becomes hard for defenders to pick up. As many had hoped, he has grown under Simeone's guidance and has learned to use his pace not only to pull defenders out of position, but to combine it with excellent close control and an eye for goal.

Atleti are desperate to tie Griezmann down on a new contract to ensure they don't lose him for the £43.5 million release clause. Chelsea are very interested and that is testament to the Frenchman's rise through the ranks in Spain. But despite his clear ability, he needs to prove it on a bigger stage.

Jose Luis Gaya (Valencia)

In terms of players breaking through, no-one has been more prominent than Jose Luis Gaya. The Valencia defender, who turns 20 later this month, is the latest left-back to emerge from the Mestalla production line which has also produced Jordi Alba and Juan Bernat.

The 19-year-old has yet to be capped by Spain but is already eyed as a natural successor to Alba after a consistently excellent season for Valencia. He has made 34 appearances in all competitions this season, with two goals and six assists to his name.

Gaya's reputation as a solid yet attacking full-back has drawn interest from Real Madrid, Chelsea and Arsenal and it looks like his future lies away from Valencia. But he won't come cheap, with Los Che tying the defender down on a new five-year deal earlier in May, increasing his release clause to around £35 million.