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Real Madrid: Ranking the best number 10s in club history

By Manas Pratim Sharma

HUESCA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 06: Luka Modric of Real Madrid CF looks on during the La Liga Santander match between SD Huesca and Real Madrid at Estadio El Alcoraz on February 06, 2021 in Huesca, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
HUESCA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 06: Luka Modric of Real Madrid CF looks on during the La Liga Santander match between SD Huesca and Real Madrid at Estadio El Alcoraz on February 06, 2021 in Huesca, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /
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Ferenc Puskas, Real Madrid (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Ferenc Puskas, Real Madrid (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) /

1. FERENC PUSKAS

Ferenc Puskas joined Real Madrid as a 31-year-old after serving a two-year ban from UEFA that didn’t allow him to play in Europe. At 31 years of age, he wasn’t the most ideal player to be sought after by Real Madrid. However, he surprised the football community with his talent and prolific finishing skills.

In his very first La Liga season, he scored four hat-tricks. That was just the start of blessed footballing folklore. At times it seemed like Puskas only dealt in hat-tricks as he scored loads of them. He scored 20 or more goals in each of his first six seasons in the Spanish league and won the Pichichi four times: in 1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964 scoring 25, 28, 26, and 21 goals, respectively. He helped Real win La Liga five times in a row between 1961 and 1965 and the Copa del Generalísimo in 1962.

His record in totality is 242 goals in 262 games for Real Madrid. Only Cristiano Ronaldo so far has succeeded to overcome this fine ratio. If there was ever one word to describe Puskas, it was consistency. No wonder that he also has a FIFA award named after him.

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Puskas, considered an out-of-favor star when his transfer was finalized in 1958, retired at the age of 39 in 1965 after having an outstanding Real Madrid career. There never was a better player to have worn the number 10 for Real Madrid and he’d be a favorite to continue defending his crown against Luka Modric who is emerging as a legend in his own ranks.

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