Blog

In this post, we will check out the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

Real Madrid is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in the world. Founded in 1902, the club has won numerous domestic and international titles, including 13 European Cup/UEFA Champions League trophies.

Throughout its history, Real Madrid has been graced with many talented players who have made a significant impact on the game.

From legendary goalkeepers to prolific goal-scorers, the club has produced some of the greatest footballers in the history of the sport.

In this article, we will take a look at the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time. These players have made a lasting impact on the club and are remembered as some of the greatest to ever play the game.

However, there must be some notable names that are out of the top 10. Those really need some honorable mentions:-

Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario, Kaka, Guti, David Beckham, Xabi Alonso, Fabio Cannavaro, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Marcelo.

So now without further delay, let’s go ahead and check out the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

Top 10 Greatest Real Madrid Players Of All Time

10 Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos is a former Real Madrid player who played most of his career as a left-back and has been named the most offensive-minded left-back in the history of football.

He is known for his breathtaking free-kicks. Carlos is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest left-backs in history. Roberto Carlos was always been a worthy member of Real Madrid.

Roberto Carlos entered Real Madrid from Inter Milan in 1996 and since then he never looked back. He spent 11 profoundly successful seasons with Real Madrid.

He played a total of 584 matches in all competitions and scored 71 goals in Madrid. At Real, he won four La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League three times.

In April 2013, Marca listed him in their “Best Foreign Eleven in Real Madrid’s History”. Roberto Carlos is number 10 in our list of the greatest 10 players to have ever played for Real Madrid.

9 Fernando Hierro

Fernando Hierro is a former Real Madrid player who played as a center-back, sweeper, or defensive midfielder.

He is one of the legends of Real Madrid and a former skipper. Hierro made Real Madrid strong from the back. He won five La Liga and three Champions League trophies with Real Madrid over the course of 14 years.

He performed in more than 500 official matches for Real Madrid. One of the best moments of his career was in the 1998 Champions League final, where Hierro showed the back strength of Real Madrid by silencing Juventus’ Alessandro Del Piero for the entire game.

Later that game was won by Real Madrid by a scoreline of 1-0. Being played at the defense and still managing to score 127 goals for Real Madrid is not a cup of tea. Hierro is number 9 in our list of the best 10 real madrid players ever.

8 Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas is widely regarded to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is remembered for his athleticism, quick responses, and excellent shot-stopping ability.

He spent the majority of his career at Real Madrid. Casillas began his career with the Real Madrid youth team and later got promoted to the main team in 1999.

He also became the youngest goalkeeper to play in the final of the Champions League and to win the title, at 19 years and four days. Due to his excellent performance, Casillas became the first-choice goalkeeper at Real Madrid.

He helped the club by winning two Champions League and La Liga titles in his first three seasons. Over the course of the year, he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the game.

Casillas won almost everything with Real Madrid which includes five La Liga titles, four Supercopa de España titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

7 Francisco Gento

Francisco Gento known as Paco Gento is a retired Spanish football player, who played as a left-winger for the most part of his career.

Gento started his career at Racing Santander in 1952 and later went to Real Madrid which turn out to be a game-changer for him.

He performed in a joint record eight European Cup finals, accomplishing a record six, as well as persuading 12 La Liga titles.

Gento is surely one of the best 10 legendary Real Madrid players ever. He is still the only player in history to win six European Cups. 

6 Luka Modric

Luka Modric is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Spanish top club Real Madrid. He plays essentially as a central midfielder, however, he is also excelled in playing as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder.

He is widely considered one of the best midfielders of all time. Modric joined Real Madrid In the summer of 2012, and since then he has done wonders for the club.

He became one of the hot prospects of Madrid and helped the team win La Décima and was also selected for the 2013–14 Champions League squad of the season.

Zinedine Zidane’s entry as a coach in Madrid led to three consecutive Champions League titles from 2015–16 to 2017–18. He has won a total of seventeen major trophies at Real Madrid, which includes four UEFA Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles.

He won the La Liga Award for “Best Midfielder” in 2016 for the second time in his career. His Ballon d’Or win in 2018 made him one of the best players in the history of Real Madrid.

5 Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos most notably played as a center-back for Real Madrid for 16 seasons. He also captained the side for six seasons. Ramos has earlier played as a right-back in his career.

He is recognized for his goalscoring capabilities and leadership skills, he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders and captains in the history of the game.

Ramos went to Real Madrid in the summer of 2005. Since then, the beautiful journey started at Real Madrid. He went on to become a backbone for Real Madrid and won 22 major honors.

The trophies include five La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles. He also became one of La Liga’s top goalscorers from a defensive stand.

Ramos played a significant part in all four UEFA Champions League wins and was selected in the UEFA Squad of the Season each time. He also prominently scored the equalizer in the 93rd minute of the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final to help Real Madrid win UEFA Champions League.

Ramos has also been named to the UEFA Team of the Year nine times in his career. Ramos has been identified as La Liga’s Best Defender a record five times, and to the La Liga Team of the Season in 2015–16.

4 Raul

Raul is a former Real MAdrid player who played as a forward. Raúl is regarded as one of the most influential players in the history of Real Madrid and is marked as one of the greatest Spanish players of all time.

Raúl was undoubtedly the greatest goal scorer to ever play for Real Madrid, however, it’s Cristiano who eclipses his numbers as the goalscorer.

He spent a total of 16 years of his career playing for Real Madrid. Raul is the club’s second all-time top goalscorer with 323 goals. He has also the most appearances in the history of the club, with 741.

Raúl has won six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions League titles, four Supercopa de España titles, one UEFA Super Cup, and two Intercontinental Cups.

Raúl is the fifth-highest goalscorer in the history of La Liga with 228 goals. He is also the most eminent Spanish scorer in European leagues, with 256 goals, scoring 228 goals in La Liga and 28 goals in the Bundesliga.

Raul also has the third-most appearances in the history of La Liga, played more than 550 matches. He is the fifth-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 71 goals. Raul is number 4 in our list of the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

3 Ferenc Puskas

Ferenc Puskas is widely considered one of the greatest players and the greatest striker to ever grace the game.

Puskas has been called the best-left foot to ever play for the Los Blancos and Hungary international proved everyone with his phenomenal skills.

In 1958, two years later the Hungarian Revolution, he migrated to Spain where he played for Real Madrid. During his time at Real Madrid, Puskás won four Pichichis and scored seven goals in two European Champions Cup finals.

He racked up a total of 242 goals in 262 games. His excellent goalscoring helped Madrid to win three European crowns and five La Liga titles. Puskas is number 3 in our list of the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

2 Alfredo Di Stefano

Alfredo Di Stefano is regarded as one of the best footballers in the history of football. Di Stéfano truly is respected as one of football’s greatest-ever players.

He is the only player to receive the Super Ballon d’Or in 1989. Di Stefano is best known for his performances with Real Madrid, where he was effective in the club’s command of the European Cup and La Liga during the 1950s.

He scored a total of 216 league goals in 282 games for Real Madrid which was later surpassed by Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo. Stefano is also Madrid’s joint highest-ever goalscorer(17) in the history of El Clasico alongside the great Cristiano Ronaldo.

Di Stéfano scored in five back-to-back European Cup finals for Real Madrid between 1956 and 1960. Di Stefano is number 2 in our list of the top 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

1 Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is often recognized as the best player in the world and is widely viewed as one of the greatest players of all time.

Cristiano is simply outstanding for Real Madrid. Just look at his numbers, he scored an astonishing 451 strikes in 438 games for the Los Blancos.

Cristiano moved to Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth €94 million. He won a total of 15 trophies, which includes two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, and four Champions Leagues.

Cristiano is also the club’s all-time top goalscorer. He won back-to-back Ballons d’Or in 2013 and 2014 and does it again in 2016 and 2017.

His total of five Ballon d’Or shows the greatness of the player. He has achieved almost everything as an individual and a team. Cristiano Ronaldo will go down in history as one of the best players in Real Madrid.