Real Madrid: Ranking the 10 greatest forwards in club history

Real Madrid's Raul celebrates after scoring a second half goal against Manchester United during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match at Old Trafford in Manchester 19 April 2000. Real Madrid won 3-2 to advance to the semi-finals. electronic image uk out (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Real Madrid's Raul celebrates after scoring a second half goal against Manchester United during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match at Old Trafford in Manchester 19 April 2000. Real Madrid won 3-2 to advance to the semi-finals. electronic image uk out (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Paco Gento (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Paco Gento (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) /

7. Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento

The Honorary President of Real Madrid, Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento was pacey winger during his time creating havoc in the opposition half. His career at Real Madrid spanned 18 years and over two significant eras in club history.

Paco Gento influenced Los Blancos’ five European Cup titles and then captained the club’s sixth European Final win in 1966. His time at the club also saw them win a dominating eight Liga titles in nine years; 12 in total.

The Spanish national holds the record for the player with the most European Cup wins, the player with most European Final appearance tied with Paolo Maldini, and the player with the most La Liga titles. He is still the most decorated player for Real Madrid at the club level in history, with 23 trophies to his name.

Real Madrid Hugo Sanchez celebrating
Real Madrid striker Hugo Sanchez  (Photo by David Leah/Allsport/Getty Images) /

6. Hugo Sánchez

The Mexican legend had just won his first Pichichi for Atletico Madrid in 1984/85 season when Real Madrid came knocking on the door. Subsequently, he won four more Pichichis in the next five years for Los Blancos, helping them to an incredible five straight La Liga titles.

He played at the time of ‘Quinta del Buitre,’ and according to Real Madrid.com’s bio of the player, Sánchez was the perfect striker to complement Madrid’s quintuple of homegrown players. Rightly so, as his goalscoring prowess was well ahead of his time, scoring then record 38 goals in a League season in 1989/90.

Real Madrid legend Emilio Buitragueno
Emilio Butragueno of Real Madrid Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport /

5. Emilio Butragueno

Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno got the nickname ‘the Vulture’ – ‘Buitre of the aforementioned Quinta del Buitre.’ He and his academy compatriots, along with Hugo Sánchez and Jorge Valdano, led Real Madrid to the golden era of La Liga, winning five straight league titles between 1985-1990. He was a graceful player who was easy on the eyes to watch contrary to what his nickname might suggest.

The former Castilla player took his opportunity in style when he scored within the first 15 minutes of getting on the pitch on his debut for the senior team. Butragueno went on the score the winner with his second in the same match completing the comeback after being 2-0 down against Cadiz. He later went on to captain the Royal Whites for many years and retired his time at Madrid with 171 goals in 463 games.

Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas
Real Madrid, Ferenc Puskas. (Photo credit should read ARCHIVE ZOLTAN THALY JR./AFP via Getty Images) /

4. Ferenc Puskas

The Hungarian forward arrived at the Madrid club at the age of 31, supposedly past his prime. What he did at the club was a testament to how great of a player he was. An incredibly talented footballer with high football IQ and a knack for scoring goals.

The Real Madrid striker was the only player who could match Di Stefano’s goal scoring ratio, even eclipsing the Argentine for the Pichichi, winning it four times. He went on to score a hattrick in 1962 European Cup Final in a 5-3 loss against Benefica.

However, his most memorable performances came two years earlier in the 1960 European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt, where he scored four goals in a 7-3 win. Alex Ferguson famously dubbed him “one of the greatest players of all time,” having seen the Blancos goalscorer from the stands on the day.