Yassir Zabiri’s goals have been worth 11 points to Racing Santander in his first 12 La Liga appearances, with the Moroccan striker scoring the winner in a 2–1 victory over Málaga to give the promoted side their first away win of the season.
Racing arrived at La Rosaleda just one point above the relegation zone after losing their first five away games, so Zabiri’s winner both ended that run and gave his side more breathing room.
Carlos Dotor put Málaga ahead in the first half before Iker Luque equalised after the break, and Zabiri completed the comeback in the 60th minute when he turned in from close range after goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero parried Pablo García’s shot.
The strike took Zabiri to nine league goals, and he has scored in all four of Racing’s wins, hitting a hat-trick against Elche and a brace against Alavés before netting the winners against Espanyol and Málaga.
Comparing Racing’s results with what the scorelines would have been without his goals, Zabiri made the difference for six points against Elche and Alavés, four by turning draws into wins against Espanyol and Málaga, and one by securing a draw against Valencia, accounting for 11 of the 14 points Racing have picked up.
That puts Zabiri ahead of Kylian Mbappé by the same measure, with the Frenchman scoring seven times in his first 12 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid in 2024–25 and his goals making the difference for six points against Real Betis, Alavés and Celta Vigo.
The 21-year-old is in his first season in Spain after joining Racing from Rennes in July on a season-long loan without an option to buy, having previously played in Portugal for Famalicão.
Zabiri had already shown what he could do on a big stage at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup in Chile, scoring both goals against Argentina in the final to give Morocco their first title in the competition and earning the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player.
