Top 10 Greatest Real Madrid Players of All Time

 

Top 10 Greatest Real Madrid Players of All Time

Real Madrid had shown his dominance in football since it’s beginning. From winning 33 La Liga titles to winning record-breaking 13 European Cups, no club has ever come close to what this club has done. Los Blancos is arguably the best football club in the world. 118 years since its existence, the history of this club is legendary. Many players have played and gave a remarkable performance the club can ever witness. So, here’s a list of top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

Being one of the richest clubs in the world, the club had possession of some greatest player of all time. From Alfredo to Ronaldo, Santiago Bernabeu has seen it all. Now let’s move forward and see who were the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

Greatest Real Madrid Players of All Time

In this article, you will see some of your favorite players whom you idolize. Most of you will be thinking where Cristiano Ronaldo will be placed among the greatest. Well, you will have to find out in the end.

10. Iker Casillas

• Position – Goalkeeper
• Years with Real Madrid – 18 years (1998-2015)

CAREER STATISTICS

• LaLiga ( 2000-2001, 2002-2003, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2011-2012)
• Copa del Rey (2010-2011, 2013-2014)
• UEFA Champions League (1999-2000, 2001-02, 2013-2014)
• UEFA Super Cup (2002, 2014)
• FIFA Club World Cup 2014
• Intercontinental Cup (1998, 2002)

Nicknamed as “San Iker” (Saint Iker), he is one of the few players who have achieved over 1000 professional career matches. Iker spent the majority of his career at Real Madrid. From being a teenage keeper when Real Madrid won the European Cup in 2000 to 14 years later in Lisbon winning the UCL final as a Captain Iker Casillas was the heartbeat of the club.

He was known for his quick reaction, athleticism, and agility. Iker holds the record for most Clean Sheets in UCL as well as in his national team.

9. Luis Figo

• Position – Midfielder 
• Years at Real Madrid – 5 years (2000-2005)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (2000-2001, 2002-2003)
• Supercopa de Espana (2001, 2003)
• UEFA Champions League 2002
• UEFA Super Cup 2002
• Intercontinental Cup 2002
• FIFA Ballon d’Or 2000
• FIFA World Player of the Year 2001

Luis Figo is regarded as the greatest player of his generation. He was one of the few players to play both for Spanish rivals club Real Madrid and Barcelona. He was the most surprising and controversial transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid for a world-record fee of € 62 million in 2000. On his return to Camp Nou, fans hung banners around the stadium with words like Scum, Judas, and Traitor and threw bottles, cigarettes on the pitch.

8. Roberto Carlos

• Position – Defender (Left- Back)
• Years with Real Madrid – 11 years (1996-2007)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (1996-1997, 2000-2001, 2002-2003, 2006-2007)
• Supercopa de Espana (1997, 2001, and 2003)
• UEFA Champions League (1997-1998, 1999-2000, 2001-2002)
• Intercontinental Cup (1998, and 2002)
• UEFA Super Cup 2002

Roberto Carlos was one of the best left-back in the history of football. Nicknamed El Hombre Bala (“ The Bullet Man”) for his mighty shots and unpredictable freekicks, he was a force to reckon with. Everyone remembers his famous freekick against France in 1997 which is considered one of the greatest freekicks of all time.

7. Zinedine Zidane

• Position – Attacking Midfielder 
• Years with Real Madrid – 5 years (2001-2006)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (2002-2003)
• Supercopa de Espana (2001, and 2003)
• UEFA Champions League (2001-2002)
• UEFA Super Cup 2002
• Intercontinental Cup 2002
• FIFA World Cup 1998
• Ballon d’Or 1998

Zinedine Zidane was a world-class playmaker famous for his technique, creative passing, and vision. He appeared in 155 games and scored 37 goals for Real Madrid. His major career highlight was when he scored a left-footed volley in 2002 UCL final.

That goal is considered to be one of the greatest goals in UCL history. On his farewell match, 80,000 fans inside Santiago Bernabeu held up a banner reading “ Thanks for the Magic”.

6. Hugo Sanchez

• Position – Forward
• Years with Real Madrid – 7 years (1985-1992)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (1985-1986, 1986-1987, 1987-88, 1989-1990)
• Supercopa de Espana (1988, 1989, and 1990)
• Copa del Rey (1988-1989)
• UEFA Cup 1985-1986

Hugo Sanchez is a Mexican retired football who was known for his terrific volleys and goalscoring ability. He is considered the greatest Mexican footballer of all time. In 1985, he moved from cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid to Real Madrid where he spent the best years of his career winning many titles and honors. Sanchez held the record for most penalties scored in La Liga with 56 goals until Cristiano Ronaldo broke the record in 2017. 

5. Raul Gonzalez 

• Position – Striker
• Years with Real Madrid – 16 years (1994-2010)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (1994-1995, 2000-2001, 2002-2003, 2006-2007, 2007-2008)
• Supercopa de Espana (1997, 2001, 2003, and 2008)
• UEFA Champions League (1997-1998, 1999-2000, and 2001-2002)
• UEFA Super Cup 2002
• Intercontinental Cup 1998, and 2002.

Raul is currently the Spanish football manager of Real Madrid Castilla and is often regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He wore the Legendary number 7 jersey scoring 228 goals in 550 games for Real Madrid. One of the most consistent strikers of his generation, Raul was an accurate penalty taker, quick and highly creative striker. Throughout his career, he never received a red card and was the star of Real Madrid.

4. Ferenc Puskas

• Position – Forward
• Years with Real Madrid – 8 years (1958-1966)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (1960-1961, 1961-1962, 1962-1963, 1963-1964, and 1964-1965)
• Spanish Cup 1961-1962
• European Cup (1958-1959, 1959-1960, 1965-1966)
• Intercontinental Cup 1960,
• Pichichi Trophy ( 1959-1960, 1960-1961, 1962-1963, 1963-1964)

Puskas is considered one of the greatest players of all time. He started his career playing in Hungarian League and become the top scorer. In 1958, he emigrated to Spain where he played for Real Madrid. In 530 appearances, he scored 514 goals for the club. He died on 17th November 2006 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

3. Francisco Gento

• Position – Forward
• Years with Real Madrid – 18 years (1953-1971)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga ( 1953-1954, 1954-1955, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1960-1961, 1961-1962, 1962-1963, 1963-1964, 1964-1965, 1966-1967, 1967-1968, 1968-1969)
• Copa del Rey (1961-1962, 1969-1970)
• European Cup ( 1955-1956, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1958-1959, 1959-1960, 1965-1966)
• Intercontinental Cup 1960
• Latin Cup 1955, and 1957 

Francisco Gentowas one of the greatest Spanish players of all time. He holds the record for winning 12 La Liga titles. In 428 appearances, he scored 128 goals for Real Madrid. Gento was extremely fast left winger with great dribbling and technical ability. He is the only player to win six European Cups.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

• Position – Forward
• Years with Real Madrid – 9 years (2009-2018)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (2011-2012, and 2016-2017)
• Copa del Rey (2010-2011, and 2013-2014)
• Supercopa de Espana (2012, and 2017)
• UEFA Champions League (2013-2014, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018)
• Uefa Super Cup (2014, and 2017)
• FIFA Club World Cup (2014, 2016, and 2017)
• Ballon d’Or (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017)

Who knew the boy from Madeira would become the greatest player in the history of football. The restless thirst for winning has driven him to break records for more than a decade. He is one of the few players who have made over 1000 professional career appearances and scored over 700 goals. Cristiano is a man of hard work who left a legacy at Santiago Bernabeu and achieved everything with Los Blancos.

He made his debut for Manchester United in 2003 and the rest is history. Most goalkeepers are afraid because he is dead inside the box. He is known for his knuckleball technique with his trademark stance before striking the ball. In 2018, he moved to Turin to embark on a new journey.

1. Alfredo Di Stefano

• Position – Midfielder
• Years with Real Madrid – 11 years (1953-1964)

CAREER STATISTICS

• La Liga (1953-1954, 1954-1955, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1960-1961, 1961-1962, 1962-1963, and 1963-1964)
• European Cups (1955-1956, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1958-1959, and 1959-1960)
• Copa del Rey 1962
• Intercontinental Cup 1960
• Ballon d’Or 1957, 1959
• Super Ballon d’Or 1989

Alfredo Stefano is the greatest Real Madrid player of all time. He was the engine of Real Madrid for winning the first 5 European Cups. Nicknamed as “Blond Arrow”, Stefano is well-known for his achievements with Real Madrid. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He was a top-class striker who was skillful and had tactical abilities.

His major career highlight would be 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 European Cup final. It is one of the finest exhibitions of club football ever witnessed in Europe. Stefan died on 7th July 2014.

Conclusion

So this was the list of top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time. Some would say Stefano is the greatest Real Madrid player ever, some would it was Cristiano. Both Stefano and Ronaldo had created their legacy in Real Madrid. There was a slight difference in their journey. Alfredo Di Stefano laid the foundation for what Real Madrid is today. Later, Cristiano Ronaldo continued to build the legacy and dominance of Real Madrid in the competition.

Hence discussing who is the greatest Real Madrid player of all time will be a long debate. I hope you like this article and show some love by sharing this article with your friends and other sports enthusiasts.