Ranking the 75 best players in Real Madrid history

With 35 league titles and 14 Champions League crowns, Real Madrid have a more storied history than any other club. They have more fans than anyone else, too, as the accolades and consistent success of Los Blancos have attracted so many people to a club whose mission statement is excellence itself.

As such, Real Madrid have boasted a long list of great players. They have so many great players that I originally planned on creating a top 50 list, but there were too many stars who would have been omitted without extending the list to 75. And I just could not let these players go unhonored.

So here it is, the best 75 Real Madrid players of all time, updated through the 2021/22 season. Yes, that means this list is liable to change in the future, adapting as the club does and as new legends rise.

Who will be next to make the top 75? Which current stars are in it?

And who is No. 1? It was not an easy battle at the top between two titans of the game.

75. Ruud van Nistelrooy

While Ruud van Nistelrooy only managed two quality seasons with the Merengue club due to injury, the 14 million euro superstar striker from Manchester United showed enough quality in those two seasons to make this list.

At a club like Real, quality matters first and foremost, and van Nistelrooy was an important source of (great) goals and technical class at a time when the Merengues were struggling in the Champions League. Van Nistelrooy’s goals were vital in Real claiming LaLiga in back-to-back seasons in 2006/07 and 2007/08. He won the Pichichi in the first of those campaigns, finding the back of the net a whopping 25 times.

It is a shame injuries prevented him from being higher on this list.

74. Manuel Velázquez

Manuel Velázquez played for Real Madrid from 1962 to 1977 after being a youth academy product. Though he spent some seasons on loan with Rayo Vallecano and Malaga, Velazquez was a Madridista for nearly two decades, including his youth career, logging 301 appearances and 48 goals for the club.

73. Ángel Di María

Although it may seem like Ángel Di María is a little low on this list, it is really an honor for him to be on this list at all, even above someone with over 300 appearances like Velázquez. Nowadays, some fans do not like Di María for comments he has made about Florentino Pérez, but many Madridistas understand his aggrievements.

In any case, Di María has an important legacy at Real Madrid as a world-class winger who helped the team return to the top of European football, playing an instrumental role in the Champions League Final that would be La Decima. He had at least nine assists in LaLiga in each of his four seasons with the club, including a whopping 17 in his final campaign.

72. Gonzalo Higuaín

True football fans understand that Gonzalo Higuaín is one of the best strikers of his generation, particularly his work in Serie A. It is only the fools who scapegoat him for a bad game or two in the World Cup. Higuaín was a fantastic all-around striker, and it is an honor that his first steps to greatness in Europe occurred at Real Madrid.

Higuaín scored 107 goals in 190 matches, meaning he had more goals and more appearances in Madrid than anywhere else. His connection with the other forwards under José Mourinho was devastating, as he was part of literally the most prolific attack in LaLiga history.

A three-time LaLiga champion, Higuaín had three seasons with at least 22 goals despite sharing the spotlight with so many stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

71. Paul Breitner

In between two stints with Bayern Munich, Paul Breitner spent three years in LaLiga with Real Madrid. Breitner is overshadowed in the history books by the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, but he is an all-time great in his own right and certainly one of the best German players ever.

At Real Madrid, Breitner was a star in his brief time there, helping Los Merengues capture two league crowns and the Copa del Rey. Back when Real cared about the cup.

70. Clarence Seedorf

Clarence Seedorf was only a Madridista from 1996 to 1999, but the eventual Milan legend certainly made his presence felt with the Merengue club. The Dutch icon scored 15 goals from midfield and was key in both a LaLiga and Champions League title. Why is such a legendary player so low? Because he only really had two important seasons with the club. So why is he on the list at all? Because he’s Clarence “freaking” Seedorf, and Madridistas are proud to say he won one of his three career UCL titles with the club.

69. Laurie Cunningham

A trailblazer for Black footballers in the United Kingdom during the 70’s, Laurie Cunningham created more history as a Real Madrid star, making a big move from West Brom, where he was a club legend, to Los Blancos in 1979. Cunningham was brilliant in his first two seasons, but he found life more frustrating later on due to injuries and, needing to be loaned and unable to play for Madrid due to a rule limiting the club from having too many players from outside Spain.

Even so, Cunningham has a special place in Real’s history. His quality was obvious, even getting an ovation from the Camp Nou! With better luck, Cunningham could have been one of the top 30 players in the history of this legendary club.

68. Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman has become an annoyance for Madridistas recently due to his negative comments about the club, but the man who scored a banger in a Champions League Final triumph over Valencia was one hell of a player. McManaman was important as a role player for Real during the Galacticos era, doing his best to work hard and stabilize an unbalanced, star-studded squad. He would win two league titles and two Champions Leagues at Real, honors he never achieved anywhere else.

67. Ricardo Gallego

The first “Redondo”, Ricardo Gallego played for Real Madrid from 1980 to 1989 as a hard-working, versatile midfielder and sweeper. He won back-to-back UEFA cups in 1984/85 and 1985/86, as well as four straight LaLiga titles during that period.

66. Vinícius Jr.

What? A 21-year-old on the list of the greatest Real Madrid players ever? Yes, Vinícius Jr.’s contributions to the club are already bigger than the others before him on this list, as great as the likes of Ángel Di María and Gonzalo Higuaín were for a few years.

Vini did things in the 2021/22 season that even players several spots higher on the list have not accomplished, so him being ranked 66  is indeed accounting for his youth and the fact that he will assuredly rise higher.

Let’s look at the facts. Vini was one of the best players in the world in 2021/22, scoring 17 goals with 10 assists in LaLiga, establishing himself as a top Ballon d’Or candidate, and scoring the match-winning goal in the Champions League Final. Even before that, he scored a decisive goal in El Clásico that eventually led to a LaLiga title in an emphatic bounce-back from an awful 2018/19 season. Vini is already in hallowed ground and only rising.

65. Xabi Alonso

The classy Xabi Alonso is now impressing as a manager. Although the Spanish midfielder was overshadowed by some of his compatriots at a certain rival club, the ex-Liverpool and Bayern star touched every club he played for with his quality, including Real Madrid. He could do everything in midfield, dictating play as one of the coolest men on the planet. Alonso was there for La Decima, but he was even more decisive in other Champions League runs, averaging well over two key passes per game in three versions of the prestigious tournament.

64. David Beckham

I anticipate some people being surprised by David Beckham being ranked well outside the top 50, given he is one of the best players of all time and exceeded five assists in each of his seasons at Real, producing some real highlights with his passing.

But the reality is that Beckham’s greatest legacy was the marketing. On the pitch, he was a failed transfer, as replacing Claude Makélélé proved to be disastrous to the stability of the squad. Beckham was miscast outside of his favored position. In the end, he only won a single major trophy, LaLiga in the 2006/07 season.

He was a great player and showed his greatness at times for Real, particularly in his final season there when he won the league. But he just didn’t accomplish enough on the pitch to be ranked higher. That said, he is already ranked high enough, considering the quality of the players behind him.

63. Luis Molowny

A player and manager for Real Madrid, Luis Molowny scored an impressive 89 goals in 172 appearances during the 40’s and 50’s. Santiago Bernabéu actually pushed hard for Real to sign Molowny, and he would deliver three league titles as a player and three league titles as a manager.

62. Keylor Navas

The goalkeeper during Real Madrid’s three-peat, Keylor Navas is one of the best keepers in the club’s history, which is saying a lot, given the players who have come through Madrid, such as Iker Casillas and Paco Buyo. Navas had his issues, but his reflexes made him capable of producing stops nobody else could.

61. Isco

Isco’s legacy at Real Madrid will perhaps be more appreciated in the future when the recency bias of the last few seasons has washed away. Though the Andalusian hasn’t been an impactful part of the squad lately, he was a smashing success in his first five seasons as a valuable role player and playmaker, elevating his game against the trickiest of defensive opponents.

The ex-Malaga man won five Champions League titles at Real Madrid and was instrumental in the first four of them. He finished his Madrid career with 37 goals in 246 games, with an especially breathtaking 2016/17 season in which he had 10 goals and 9 assists in LaLiga.

60. Ramón Grosso

A youth product of Real Madrid, Ramón Grosso played for the Merengues from 1964 to 1976, scoring 54 goals in 265 matches. Grosso won an incredible seven league titles for the Merengues, He was so good, in fact, that he was Real’s top scorer in his first two seasons despite playing with some of the most prolific players in the history of the game – players you will see in the top 20 of this very list.

59. Jacinto Quincoces

Jacinto Quincoces played for Real Madrid in the 1930’s and 40’s, captaining the side in central defense. He would eventually become a manager for the Merengue club and was one of the best defenders of his era.

58. Raphaël Varane

Another one of the best defensive players of his era, Raphaël Varane has four Champions Leagues and three LaLiga titles to his name. Though overshadowed by captain Sergio Ramos, Varane was one of the best center backs in the world in his own right, and he won a World Cup of his own as a leader at the back for France. Quick with his feet and his mind, Varane was one of the best pure defenders the world has ever seen during his peak years in Madrid. It’s a shame that a move to Manchester United has caused some to rewrite that history. Varane was truly class for Madrid.

57. Mesut Özil

Really, Mesut Özil was the star for Real Madrid that the hype machine will tell you David Beckham was. For some reason, Özil’s incredible statistical achievements at Madrid are not spoken of in more hallowed terms by people outside of those Madridistas who watched him closely.

Like David Beckham, the Schalke academy product spent less than five seasons with the Merengues and won a sole league title. Unlike Beckham, Özil was the best playmaker in the world with assist totals of 16, 18, and 13 in his three full campaigns with the club. He led LaLiga in assists in all of them and was the cerebrum of one of the most electrifying attacks the league has ever seen.

Özil would routinely create clear chances with passes nobody else on the planet would dare attempt, and his connection with Cristiano Ronaldo was the stuff of legends. While he would go on to have success at Arsenal before being disrespected cruelly by the football world as the game passed playmakers by, nothing will ever top his peak years in Madrid.

56. Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois may seem a little high on this list, but when Madridistas are already wondering if he could one day surpass Iker Casillas’ legacy, I actually think I have him ranked a little low. But Courtois has time to climb up the ranks. If he keeps this up over the next several years, a finish in the top 25 is not out of the question.

After a rough start to life in Madrid and plenty of boos from the fans, Courtois never complained and dramatically turned it around in the 2019/20 season with a massive performance in Istanbul to follow-up a rough night against Club Brugge that included a stomach illness and calls for Alphonse Areola to supplant the big transfer from Chelsea.

From then on, Courtois would be the best goalkeeper on the planet, sewing up the Zamora trophy and a league title for Madrid. Two seasons later, he would win the Champions League, producing one of the all-time great performances in goal during the Final vs. Liverpool.

55. Guti

Guti is cult hero for Real Madrid fans. The man oozes Madridismo, and while he was often criticized for not caring enough on the pitch, that was just how the man played. He was an artist masquerading as a footballer, a man who could break the lines in ways that defensive lines were simply not meant to be broken.

His backheel to Karim Benzema alone is worth a top-60 finish. Guti was true to Madrid from 1995 to 2010 before finishing his career in Besiktas. He once had 14 goals as a 23-year-old and 14 assists as a 30-year-old. That sums up the peak excellence Guti was capable of achieving, as well as his duality throughout his career. Guti has a complex legacy but one that is respected by Madridistas.

54. Uli Stielike

Another legendary German, Uli Stielike spent more time at Real Madrid than Paul Breitner, scoring 41 goals in 215 appearances despite being a sweeper. World-class through and through, Stielike was named the best foreign player in the league for four straight seasons, and he also captured the league title three times and the UEFA Cup once.

53. Pahiño

With 109 goals in 124 games from 1948 to 1953, Pahiño was an incredibly prolific forward for Real Madrid. If he were at any other club, he would rank much, much higher on an all-time list. It’s just that the Merengues have had so many prolific scorers throughout their history. Pahiño won the Pichichi at Real, and while he had to take a backseat to Alfredo di Stéfano later on, he made a positive impact on the club.

52. Míchel Salgado

Defensive players are very underrated historically. People focus more on what is easier to evaluate – goals and highlight reels, of which there are more of them for the goal-scorers. So Míchel Salgado, an excellent defender who was as tough as they come and oozed Madridismo, gets disrespected by children of the day or the children of his era who only remember the errors.

Being a defender is cruel, but so was Salgado. He was a player nobody wanted to cross and a locker room leader for Real Madrid during a turbulent time after Fernando Hierro and Vicente del Bosque were pushed out by an imprudent and then-immature Florentino Pérez.

Salgado won four league titles and two Champions League titles at Real Madrid, appearing in a whopping 251 matches as a center back. It is not easy to last that long as a defender in Madrid.

51. Héctor Rial

Just missing out on the top 50, San Lorenzo product Héctor Rial was one classy forward, claiming five European Cups with the Merengues while scoring 60 goals. He was an elite winger and playmaker, making the great players around him even better and managing to become a club legend despite sharing the stage with the likes of Paco Gento and Di Stéfano.

50. Iván Helguera

The most underrated player in Real Madrid history, Iván Helguera succeeded at the center back position during the toughest time to be a Madrid central defender, as Florentino Pérez absolutely gutted the team’s defensive support in an effort to make loads of marketing money.

That Helguera was a very good center back is a credit to his footballing ability and intelligence, because he was really signed to be a midfielder. Helguera was a top, top midfielder, at that. He was such a good player that Claude Makélélé once called Helguera his greatest ever teammate besides Zinedine Zidane, whom he jokingly omitted from contention.

A prolific scorer despite being a defensive player, Helguera scored 16 career goals in the Champions League, including six in 2000/01. Though Madrid did not win the competition that year, Helguera would hoist the UCL title twice in his underappreciated career.

49. Davor Šuker

Like Clarence Seedorf, Davor Šuker was only a Madridista for a few years from 1996 to 1999. But in that time, goodness, did the Croatian make an impact. He was a superstar for both the Merengues and his national team in 1998, coming third in the World Cup and securing the Golden Boot, placing second in the Ballon d’Or running for his efforts.

Better yet, he won the Champions League, one season after winning LaLiga. Šuker scored 24 goals in his first season in Madrid. He had 10 goals in the Champions League-winning campaign. That alone rates him highly, just for having a season of that magnitude as a star man.

48. Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro amassed 94 games between 2006 and 2009 with Real Madrid, setting the highest standard at the center back position and paving the way for the likes of Sergio Ramos, Pepe, and Raphaël Varane.

The Italian center back does not quite have the same cachet as countrymen Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini, but his 2006 was on a level that neither of those even reached. Cannavaro became one of the select few central defenders to win a Ballon d’Or, thanks to his class with the Italian national team and the Merengues. He set an example at Real Madrid with his perfect tackling, unparalleled football IQ, and relentless desire to win the ball.

It says a lot that he received a standing ovation from Madridistas in his final match at the Santiago Bernabéu. Cannavaro was special.

47. Fernando Morientes

Fernando Morientes qualifies as a fan favorite, and it is a shame Florentino Pérez did not value him, loaning him to Monaco and then later selling him to Liverpool. The Spanish international scored 72 times for Los Blancos, forming a beautiful partnership with Raúl before Ronaldo Nazário joined from Inter Milan to change everything.

As it stands, Morientes was a hard-working, clinical striker who made those around him better and won three Champions League titles with an additional two league crowns. Morientes is a true Madridista.

46. Dani Carvajal

The best right back in the world at his peak, Dani Carvajal made waves on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, and he was so obviously impressive that Bayer’s sporting director outright said he would return to Real Madrid.

Carvajal has won five Champions League titles with the Merengues, and we are still very much counting. The tenacious right back is one of the best all-around players to play the position, providing elite one-on-one defending and pinpoint crossing, as well as relentless ball progression. Expect him to skyrocket this list as well.

45. José María Zárraga

Legendary midfielder José María Zárraga spent over a decade at Real Madrid, mostly in the 50’s. He won five straight European Cups with Real Madrid, making him one of the most successful players to ever suit up for the club. Zárraga was the beating heart for Real in midfield with his lion heart. Never afraid to put everything on the line to defend for the team, Zárraga captained the team at one point and helped the superstar forwards shine.

44. Rafael Gordillo

Rafael Gordillo made 182 appearances for Real Madrid from 1985 to 1992, absolutely owning the flank as a four-team LaLiga winner and one-time UEFA Cup winner. Gordillo was the definition of a fan favorite during his time in the Spanish capital, and you cannot tell the story of the 80’s without Gordillo, who was worth every bit of the hype after joining from Real Betis, where he won the Copa del Rey – a competition he would also win in Madrid.

43. Vicente del Bosque

A future legendary, Champions League-winning coach, Vicente del Bosque was an impressive player for Real Madrid, too. Del Bosque’s intelligence as a manager was visible in the midfield as a player, commanding a great deal of respect with five league titles and four Copas del Rey. He was a coach on the field and someone the coaches loved – all of them who worked with del Bosque. So it’s no wonder he won two UCLs and two league titles with the Merengues as a manager later!

42. Rafael Martín Vázquez

Martín Vázquez started his Real Madrid career at Castilla in 1980, and a few years later, he was on the first team. The Madrid-born attacking midfielder was part of La Quina del Buitre, playing his part in supporting one of the greatest attacks of the era. Martín Vázquez won LaLiga six times and the Copa del Rey twice, establishing himself as one of the most skilled playmakers of his time.

41. Predrag Mijatović

A director of football for Real Madrid, Predrag Mijatović is one of many elite strikers to have plied his trade at the Santiago Bernabéu. Mijatović spent just three seasons with the Merengues but played like a legend, coming second in the Ballon d’Or voting in 1997. That is no short feat, given he made it in second over Zinedine Zidane and only lost to another future Galactic Madridista, Ronaldo Nazário.

Mijatović will forever live in history for scoring the goal in the Champions League Final that broke Los Merengues’ 32-year drought of true European championships – the UEFA Cup is really just the Europa League.

40. Pepe

Pepe is an all-time great at the center back position, there is no doubt about that. It almost feels wrong ranking him 40th, but that speaks more to the quality of the players who made the top 40. The Portuguese legend spent about a decade in Madrid from 2007 to 2017, progressing from a talented but rash center back into a certified baller, bossing any forward who came his way and regularly making interventions early, well outside his box.

The man fit the Real Madrid ethos of defending perfectly, learning from Fabio Cannavaro and then creating an even greater legacy at the world’s most storied club. Pepe won LaLiga three times, the Copa del Rey twice, and the Champions League three times. By the time he left Madrid, he was still at the top of his game, and even at the age of 39, he is still a star for his national team and FC Porto.

39. Chendo

The lovable Chendo may be unseated by Dani Carvajal in the future, but this legendary right back was the definition of class in his own right. One of the greatest players in Real Madrid history in terms of both his quality and his impact, Chendo would always give his 100 percent to the club in every match, and his 100 percent was transcendent at times.

Chendo was at the club for nearly two decades, his Real Madrid career spanning from 1982 to 1998. He won LaLiga five straight times in the 80’s and then two more times in the 90’s. The Champions League? Chendo won that trophy in 1997/98, a decade after securing back-to-back UEFA Cups.

38. Ignacio Zoco

Ignacio Zoco is another player who defines being a Real Madrid legend. The midfielder logged 318 appearances for Los Blancos from 1962 to 1974, becoming a key starter for the Merengues after paying his dues in his first season signed from Pamplona-based outfit, Osasuna.

Zoco won LaLiga seven times as Real Madrid dominated the league in the 60’s, snagging a European Cup in 1965, too. The Spanish international had won the Euros with his country the year before, too.

37. Marquitos

Back to the defenders, Marquitos is as good of a defender as you’ll find in Real Madrid history’s – being ranked ahead of Pepe is no short feat, for example. But Marquitos was an even bigger Madrid legend, playing for the club from 1954 to 1962 and claiming both five European Cups and five league titles for Los Merengues.

Marquitos is definitely one of the finest center backs Madrid has ever seen, forming the backbone of that ridiculous five-peat European Cup side.

36. Claude Makélélé

The creator of “The Makélélé Role”, Claude Makélélé is one of the most influential players in the history of football – not just Real Madrid. Florentino Pérez’s short-sighted decision to sell him – he basically lied to Makélélé and said he would be extended and taken care of, not dumped off – and replace him with David Beckham was disastrous. It cost Real Madrid titles and ended Pérez’s first reign as president.

Makélélé is one of the most well-rounded, intelligent, and effective defensive midfielders the world has ever seen. He set the blueprint and has one of the strongest legacies in Real Madrid history despite only spending three seasons with the club. He really should have been there more, but from what fans saw, he was truly elite.

35. José Santamaría

José Santamaría was a serial winner. After claiming the top title in Uruguay five times at Nacional, Santamaría became a legend at another historic club, Real Madrid. He played 227 games for the club from 1957 to 1966, one of the early greats in a proud succession of elite center backs to suit up for the Royal White club.

The Uruguayan and Spanish international was nicknamed “The Wall”. Though it is certainly not the most creative nickname for a defensive player, it shows you just how damn good Santamaría was at his job – good enough to snag six league titles and four European Cups.

34. Francisco Buyo

One of the many great goalkeepers in Real Madrid history, “Paco” Buyo holds a special place in the hearts of Madridistas. Buyo is a legend of LaLiga, having played for Mallorca, Deportivo La Coruña, Huesca, and Sevilla before joining Real.

But his time with Los Blancos was obviously the most special of his career. He appeared in 343 matches for the Merengues from 1986 to 1997, capturing the Zamora Trophy twice. An institution in Madrid, Buyo set records with his ability to keep opponents off the scoresheet – including over 700 minutes at one point – and was a six-time LaLiga winner. By the way, he never won the league at any of those other clubs.

33. Casemiro

The missing piece to Real Madrid winning the three-peat, Casemiro took Real Madrid from a team that won La Decima but bottled it against Juventus in the 2014/15 semifinals to a truly unstoppable juggernaut. His defensive-focused playing style, hard-as-hell tackling, and ingenious off-the-ball command of attackers made him the best No. 6 in the world – a distinction he still honors, particularly in the biggest of matches.

Casemiro has three league titles and five Champions League crowns to his name, and it is no coincidence that the Merengues have won so much with Case in the building. One of the best bargains in football history at just a handful of million euros from São Paulo, Casemiro could finish in the top 25 by the time his career in Madrid ends.

32. Miguel Muñoz

Another Madridista who was both a distinguished legend as a player and a manager, Miguel Muñoz commanded the Madrid midfield for a decade from 1948 to 1958, making 223 league appearances. Muñoz won four league titles as a player and three straight European Cups.

As a manager, he was even more prolific in the league, grabbing a dominant nine titles. And he was still great in European competition, guiding the greatest club in the world to two more European Cups.

31. Ronaldo Nazário

Though the first Ronaldo at Real Madrid only spent a handful of seasons with the club, he was a different type of player to what Madridistas had seen before. The best player on the planet at the time, the hero of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph was unstoppable with his finishing, acceleration, and jaw-dropping elasticos.

Ronaldo surpassed 20 goals in each of his first three seasons with Real Madrid. Injuries eventually robbed the world of the greatest talent there has ever been at the 9, but Madridistas were at least able to see the true peak of Ronaldo for those glorious three years. It’s too bad he never got to win the Champions League with the competition’s owners.

30. Iván Zamorano

One of the greatest Chilean players in football history, Iván Zamorano is another star striker who is part of a proud lineage of Real Madrid greats up top. Zamorano scored 77 goals in 137 league matches for Los Merengues, exceeding 10 goals in each of his four seasons and 25 goals twice, snagging Pichichi honors in 1994/95. In addition to the Pichichi, Zamorano was named LaLiga’s best foreign player that season, en route to Los Merengues capturing the title.

29. José Antonio Camacho

Real Madrid have an incredible history of left backs, so Camacho can get easily overlooked in the history of the club. But Camacho is absolutely a legend and one of the greatest players in the history of Real Madrid.

The Albacete and Castilla product also made over 400 appearances with the Royal White club, dominating the left wing and racking up plenty of silverware in the 15 years he spent in the Spanish capital.

28. Fernando Redondo

Nobody will ever forget that backheel at Old Trafford. It is not a stretch to call Fernando Redondo one of the greatest midfielders of all time. El Principe was the Champions League Player of the Year in the same campaign he pulled off that unforgettable piece of skill to leave Manchester United completely lost for words.

Redondo was a special player with his technique, leadership, and defensive work. He is one of the most well-rounded midfielders ever and was a true controller in the center of the park for Madrid. Redondo set the tone in so many ways.

27. Míchel

Míchel suited up 404 times in domestic competition for Los Blancos, scoring 97 goals from 1982 to 1996. That’s quite the haul for a midfielder, as the Castilla product was one of the superstars of the formidable Quinta del Buitre. A six-time league champion, two-time Copa del Rey winner, and two-time UEFA Cup winner, Míchel was one of the absolute best players in the world at one point. In 1986, he was named the best Spanish player in the league, and one year later, he finished top five in the Ballon d’Or.

The No. 8 may have contributed nearly 100 goals to the Merengue cause, but where the midfielder really shined was as a passer. He was the world’s finest passer in his day, providing boatloads of assists for the Real Madrid superstars around him.

26. Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale has such an important legacy in Real Madrid history. He was a true superstar who elevated Real from a team that just could not get over the Champions League semifinal hump after years of toiling in Round of 16 obscurity, to a team that won five Champions League titles between the 2013/14 and 2021/22 seasons – the latter being his final in Madrid.

While Bale’s close to his Madrid career was a tumultuous one, that should not overshadow his incredible accomplishments. He was more than worth the 100 million euros that Real paid to Tottenham for him – then a transfer record. Bale was a one-of-a-kind athlete and a left-footed inverted winger who could score goals upon goals – and help those around him. His track record in finals of any kind speaks for itself.

25. Manolo Sanchís

And yet another standout of the La Quina del Buitre squad shows up on this list of the 75 best Real Madrid players of all time. Manolo Sanchís is another underrated player in his legacy for Los Blancos, but he was another true Madridista through and through.

Sanchís made over 500 appearances for the Royal White club in the league alone, scoring 33 times for the ONLY club he knew.

A sweeper, Sanchís could do it all, part of a legacy of defenders at Real Madrid who played with passion, intelligence, and the ability to aid the attack. Sanchís was a Madrid captain for over a decade and won nine league titles – eight with Madrid and one Segunda title with Castilla.

24. Santiago Bernabéu

Everyone knows about Santiago Bernabéu the legendary president of 35 years and the namesake of the greatest club of all time, but did you know that Real’s foundational hero was also one heck of a footballer in his own right?

Bernabéu signed with Real Madrid in 1909 at the age of 14 and would go on to captain the team. He was a star striker for the Merengues, showing commanding strength and clinical finishing at a very important and formative period in the club’s history from 1911 to 1928. In just 80 official matches, Bernabéu found the back of the net 70 times. Madridistas owe him a lot both as a player and as an executive.

23. Ricardo Zamora

The namesake of the prestigious Zamora Trophy, Ricardo Zamora is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalkeepers in Real Madrid’s history – and there are many to choose from.

Zamora is also one of the greatest players to move from Barcelona to Real Madrid, though, unlike Luís Figo, he did have a stint with Espanyol in between. The keeper was vital in Real winning its first LaLiga title in 1931/32, when they never lost, and Real Madrid would also win the next title. He is one of the greatest Spanish players of all time.

22. Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa spent even less time at Real Madrid than Ricardo Zamora, but what he accomplished during his time in Madrid was simply on another level. One of the greatest French players of all time, though modern fans sometimes forget his excellence, Kopa won the Ballon d’Or and was runner-up in two of the three years he was a part of the club.

That speaks volumes. During his brief time at Real Madrid, Kopa was arguably the best player in the world, dazzling fans all over with his spellbinding dribbling skills. Kopa won LaLiga twice and three straight European Cups, his elite talent clearly instrumental in Real’s enviable success. And though he was only there for three years, Kopa has always made it clear that his time in Madrid was extraordinarily special to him.

21. Toni Kroos

The greatest controller of the midfield in his time, Toni Kroos is massively underrated and disrespected by people who know very, very little about football and revered to the nth degree by fans, pundits, and other players who truly understand who difficult his job is.

Kroos is the difference-maker on the biggest stages, as Madridistas have seen in multiple successful Champions League Finals. The winner of four UCLs with Madrid and one with Bayern Munich, Kroos is the gift from Die Roten that keeps on giving.

20. Roberto Carlos

If it weren’t for Marcelo, Roberto Carlos would be the greatest left back in Real Madrid history. In terms of athletic ability, there isn’t a fullback in history who comes close to Roberto Carlos. His speed was truly something else, as he could accelerate so quickly up the pitch, Real Madrid teammates would cross the ball to the other side of the field knowing that Roberto Carlos would get there. Madridistas would not see him on their screens, but he would be there.

His defending was also fantastic, contrary to what the uneducated will spout to you. He was a great, aggressive attacking left back, but his speed and take-no-prisoners approach to tackling made him a fearsome and effective defender, even if he did leave a lot of space behind him. It was worth it. Roberto Carlos was a special player, and everyone who got to see him play in a Real Madrid kit is blessed for it.

19. Luís Figo

Luís Figo leaving Barcelona for Real Madrid – a trap set by Florentino Pérez against his agent – is one of the most infamous transfers in football history and the move that set the stage for the Galáticos. Though Zinedine Zidane’s legacy surpassed that of Figo’s, the Portuguese icon was the most consistent of the Galactic signings for Los Blancos in that era.

Though Figo ended up scoring fewer than 50 goals for the Merengues during his time at the Bernabéu, he did so much in terms of creating chances and progressing the ball. A warrior on the pitch, Figo would embrace his move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. He goes down in history as one of the greatest wide playmakers and wingers to ever play the game.

18. Santillana

Every true Madridista knows that Santillana is in hallowed territory among the all-time greats in the club’s history. Santillana was a striker for Los Blancos from 1971 to 1988, getting a then-record 778 appearances in all competitions while forming a devastating partnership with another absolute legend of the Merengue club, Juanito.

Santillana scored 10 goals and was league champion in his first season as a teenager, so, like many great Madrid strikers, it did not take him long to make an imprint on the squad. His clinical finishing and remarkable aerial ability helped the Merengue club win nine league titles and four Copas del Rey during his nearly two decades at the Bernabéu. With 290 career goals, Santillana ranks fifth all-time in Real Madrid history.

17. Juanito

The man for whom Madridismo was coined, Juanito is one of the most ingenious and passionate players to have stepped foot on a football pitch. Juanito spent a decade in Madrid from 1977 to 1987, standing out on a team that also boasted a host of icons on this list, such as Vicente del Bosque in midfield and Santillana in attack.

An attacking player of his own, Juanito scored 121 times in 401 matches, taking the breath of Madridistas away with his dribbling chops. Nobody quite captured lightning-in-a-bottle or the hearts of fans like Juanito. His legacy is forever entrenched.

16. Amancio

Sometimes it feels like Amancio gets overlooked when discussing the Real Madrid legends, but there is little doubt that Amancio is both one of the greatest players in club history and also one of the greatest right wingers in football history.

Amancio played for Los Blancos from 1962 to 1976, scoring 155 goals in 471 matches across all competitions, winning the league nine times and the European Cup once. The definition of world-class, Amancio’s skill made him the player to watch on the pitch for many fans. His legacy extends to coaching Castilla, where his eye for talent was instrumental in setting up another generation of success in Madrid.

15. Emilio Butragueño

“El Buitre”(“The Vulture”), Emilio Butragueño has one of the most bad-ass nicknames in the history of sports – not just football – and both the playing style and on-field conquest to back that up. A superstar who could do it all as a striker, Butragueño is among the top 10 greatest goal-scorers in Real Madrid history, netting 171 times in 463 official matches across all competitions from 1982 to 1995.

A career spanning footballing generations, El Buitre was a Castilla sensation before becoming one of the absolute top footballers in Europe. Butragueño came third in the Ballon d’Or twice in 1986 and 1987, won the Pichichi a few years later, and won the league six times. Though he was certainly a great goal-scorer – and a scorer of great goals- Butragueño is among those legendary all-around center-forwards in Los Blancos’ history. To this day, his Madridismo knows no bounds.

14. Pirri

Pirri is another one of the top 10 greatest goal-scorers in Real Madrid history. That the versatile Pirri scored 172 goals, though, is especially remarkable when you consider he was mostly a midfielder or sweeper. He played everywhere for Los Blancos, like so many great players in his day, and one of the positions he did play was forward. Though it was not his primary spot.

From 1964 to 1980, Pirri logged 561 appearances for Los Blancos, winning LaLiga 10 times, in addition to the Copa del Rey four times. Further, he was part of the Real Madrid side that captured the European Cup in 1965/66. Pirri is one of the toughest players in club history, too, earning plaudits for winning a Copa del Rey Final with a fever and broken jaw. Take that, “flu game”.

13. Marcelo

No player has won more trophies in Real Madrid history than Marcelo, whose conquest of the Supercup, LaLiga, and Champions League title in his final Royal White season of 2021/22 put him at 25 total trophies.

Marcelo has a case for being the greatest left back of all time, and it is a sentiment both Toni Kroos and Florentino Perez back. Even saying he is the greatest left back in Madrid history is a huge deal, given Roberto Carlos is another one of the players in the conversation.

An elite creative presence on the left flank who worked tirelessly to start and support attacks, Marcelo helped change what is expected from fullbacks in the modern game and how fullbacks change totally change the complexion of a big match offensively. A demon for defenses during the three-peat era, Marcelo’s telepathic connection with Cristiano Ronaldo is a flank partnership that may never be topped.

12. Fernando Hierro

Fernando Hierro is one of the first players who comes to mind when invoking the word “Madridismo”. He was captain during the Galácticos era, and his bravery in standing up to Florentino Pérez against changing the culture of Real Madrid and disrupting the squad cost him his place in the squad. But it made him an even bigger legend of the club. Because in the end, he was right, and Pérez should have listened.

One of the greatest center backs of all time, Hierro could do it all at the back. He defended like a lion, won every duel, made last-gasp tackles and clearances, scored goals, made things happen with his passing, and elevated the players around him to great heights. Hierro brought the skill of a midfielder to his transition to center back and won five league titles and three Champions Leagues in total.

11. Zinedine Zidane

It is so difficult to rank Zinedine Zidane without taking into account his even more incredible legacy as a manager who brought great talents to Real Madrid and then turned all that talent into a three-peat winner of the Champions League. And that’s not even mentioning the league title he won in 2019/20, saving Real from what could have turned into a very dark period after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Los Blancos.

As a player, Zidane was a record-breaking transfer who was the centerpiece of the Galácticos project. He was the player Florentino Pérez was obsessed with signing above all else – and for good reason. Zidane was magic on the football pitch, the hero of the World Cup and Euros for France, and the greatest midfielder we have ever seen.

More importantly, Pérez knew that signing Zidane would give Real Madrid an aura, a legitimacy, and a basis for recruiting future greats for generations to come. And for all that Pérez may have gotten wrong in his era, he could not have been more right about Zidane, whose big-game presence was unmatched, even on a team of superstars. He was the king.

10. Hugo Sánchez

Hugo Sánchez was an inspiration at Real Madrid and one of the greatest players the world has ever seen. He may be underrated by the average fan, but Madridistas who know their history recognize Sánchez as one of the true greats of the game.

His highlight reel stands up there with anybody’s. Sánchez was a master at scoring great goals, as evidenced by his record of four straight Pichichi awards…without ever tying anyone for the goal-scoring lead! Sánchez made it all look so graceful. His season with 38 goals was the stuff of legend, every single goal scored with one touch! It would take decades for Cristiano Ronaldo to hit 40 goals and surpass what Sánchez did in 2010/11.

It speaks volumes that such a prolific player is only 10th in Real Madrid history.

9. Iker Casillas

Despite all the great goalkeepers who have played for Real Madrid, San Iker is undoubtedly ahead of them all. Iker Casillas was an inspirational figure, a leader, and the best damn goalkeeper in the world for so many years.

Casillas’ heroics in goal upon being thrust into the Champions League Final against Bayer Leverkusen will never be forgotten. Those saves have to be watched over and over again to believe. A homegrown player at a time when signing superstars was all the rage, Casillas proved himself time and time again and became the voice of Madrid. He would win LaLiga five times and the Champions League three times, including the emotional “La Decima” triumph.

8. Raúl

Another emotional leader of Real Madrid during a difficult era for the club, Raúl is one of the most beloved figures in modern football, even outside of Madrid. The superstar striker was one of the best players in the world as a homegrown player, more than keeping up with the major signings like Ronaldo Nazário and Zinedine Zidane.

The current Real Madrid Castilla coach, Raúl was one of the most hard-working and technically prolific players of his era, showing levels of class and finishing chops above the rest. Raúl was named LaLiga’s best Spanish player a record five times, took home Pichichi honors twice, and nearly won the Ballon d’Or in 2001. In terms of team achievements, he won LaLiga six times and the Champions League three times.

7. Ferenc Puskás

Ferenc Puskás is a name familiar to the vast majority of football fans, thanks to the yearly award given to the best goal (though, nowadays, the winning goal usually isn’t the one that deserved it.). Puskás was a superstar in an era when Hungarian football dominated, and he was as good as you’d expect a player whose name is attached to the award.

From 1958 to 1967, Puskás was part of a golden era for Real Madrid, scoring 242 goals in 262 games. That is a ridiculous goals-to-games ratio and sums up why he is one of the very best players to have suited up for Los Blancos. Like with Hugo Sánchez, the only thing holding him back from being higher on this list is the sheer quality of the Merengue club in its history.

That said, there are few players who can ever reach Puskás’ legacy in football history. A five-time league champion and three-time European Cup winner, Puskás achieved it all for Real Madrid, and to think he did so arriving as a seasoned 31-year-old!

6. Luka Modrić

When it comes to proving that age is nothing but a number, Luka Modrić is in a class of his own. At the age of 36, he was the best midfielder in the 2021/22 Champions League season, bossing the biggest of games and producing a clutch trivela assist to rescue Real Madrid from the jaws of defeat against Chelsea.

Modrić was central to Real’s three-peat and a superstar in each of his five Champions League wins. An irreplaceable player, Modrić can literally do everything a box-to-box midfielder needs to at an elite level. With his endless energy and enviable creativity, Modrić pulls the strings and runs circles around even the most industrious of opponents.

With a rare Ballon d’Or as a pure center midfielder, Modrić achieved the pinnacle of success in the same era as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, leading his country to the World Cup Final in 2018. We may never see a midfielder like Lukita.

5. Paco Gento

From 1953 to 1972, Paco Gento was an institution at Real Madrid and one of its most legendary figures. Like Ferenc Puskás, Gento was a larger-than-life player from that era, scoring 182 goals as a left winger. He is in the conversation for being one of the great true left wingers in footballing history, earning that reputation in nearly two decades of greatness at Real Madrid.

Gento was the captain of the Ye-yé Real Madrid side, taking on the leadership role of the club after Di Stéfano and Puskás. He would win a record six European Cups in his career, appearing in nine finals in another record that would only be equaled decades later by Milan icon Paolo Maldini.

A future ambassador of the club alongside Di Stéfano, Gento is a player whose contemporary greatness is only matched by his lifelong Madridismo.

4. Karim Benzema

Now tied with Raúl in second place on Real Madrid’s all-time scoring list, the only question is if Karim Benzema will add enough to his tally of 323 goals to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s 450 goals. Benzema is the greatest French striker of all time, and that is a statement that cannot be made lightly but is one Benz has fully earned.

Look at what he did this past season. The ONLY viable Ballon d’Or candidate, Benzema lifted his team time and time again, with his rapid-fire hat-trick against PSG standing out as a legendary moment of raising a team out of the fire.

Throughout his career, Benzema has been a mainstay. Even when Madridistas did not appreciate him, the superstars of the team, specifically Ronaldo, and the club did. Pérez’s decision not to replace him with Robert Lewandowski, desperate to join the Merengues year after year, has been vindicated to the fullest.

The most complete striker of his generation, Benzema is now rightfully receiving recognition as the greatest striker of his generation, no longer having to put aside his own goals for an even more prolific scorer in Ronaldo.

3. Sergio Ramos

That Sergio Ramos ranks ahead of Karim Benzema – and does so unanimously to most Madridistas – says all you need to know about the legacy this one-of-a-kind center back has crafted. Fernando Hierro had more goals, but Ramos was a prolific scoring center back in his own right. No goal being more important than 92:48. You know what I’m talking about.

Real Madrid always needs a fiery leader, and Ramos had more smoke for opponents than anyone. When he and Pepe got going together, my word, watch out. Ramos’ elite defending was somehow underrated no matter how much his team won, but Madridistas understood that no center back of his time can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. A world-class right back who dominated Spain’s 2010 World Cup triumph, Ramos somehow built an even stronger legacy at the center back position.

Ramos has a case for being the best center back of all time. That is a tough argument to make, but when looking at his body of work at Real Madrid, there can be no doubt that he is among the pantheon of the absolute greatest Madridistas ever.

2. Alfredo Di Stéfano

There is undoubtedly no more important player to the history of Real Madrid than Alfred di Stéfano. So much so that I bet there are people who will be upset he does not rank first on this list (more on that later), perhaps president Florentino Pérez himself is among them.

Di Stéfano was special. He could play anywhere, and he was by far the best player in the world of his time. He should get more GOAT shouts, alongside compatriots Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. Because Di Stéfano was a classy, one-of-a-kind player who still stands as Real’s fourth-highest scorer with 269 goals.

Karim Benzema rightfully is praised for being a great all-around player and more than just a scorer, but Di Stéfano defined that even more. The namesake of Real Madrid’s current training ground, Di Stéfano won LaLiga eight times and the European Cup fifth times, setting the tone that Los Blancos would be the greatest club of all time forever and ever.

Vital as an ambassador to the club after his playing days, Di Stéfano ensured that he class of Real Madrid would be enduring. There are so many great legends of this club, but nobody has contributed more to Real over the course of his life than Di Stéfano. There was nothing the two-time Ballon d’Or winner could not do.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

And having said all that, Alfredo Di Stéfano, though he may clearly be the most important player in Real Madrid history in terms of his meaning and foundational impact, is not the BEST player in the story of this historic institution.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest goal-scorer of all time, and his peak goal-scoring excellence came at Real Madrid. Whether it was finishing the finest counterattacking moves of our time with Jose Mourinho or combining with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to devastate Champions League opponents, CR7 was ruthless. The version we saw when he first joined from Manchester United is the single greatest player I have ever seen. He was brute strength, annihilating speed, and technical excellence like we have never seen before. What he was doing can never be repeated, and the demands he placed on himself physically led to irreversible knee damage.

Yet after he had to change his game because of a chronic injury, Ronaldo became even more successful, turning into a clinical machine who raised his game on the most important nights. There is no three-peat without Ronaldo. No “La Decima”. Real Madrid with Ronaldo hung with Barcelona during its most dominant period in history. And then Ronaldo’s Madrid dominated the European game like no modern team ever has, turning back the clock to those Madrid sides from the 50s.

Before Ronaldo, Real Madrid could not get out of the purgatory of the Round of 16 of the Champions League. They were not too far off from Manchester United territory. Ronaldo was the best player in the world at a team capable of winning the UCL in any given year, yet he left United for the challenge of returning an even more historic club to its former glory.

451 goals in 438 games. That is a number so mind-boggling already, but when you factor in that we are talking about a player who averaged over two key passes per game in multiple league seasons and five seasons with double-digit assists.

I could go on and on about the numbers. Three LaLiga seasons with 40 goals. The most goals in a Champions League campaign. The hat-tricks. The consistency. Everything.

But what might matter most in Ronaldo’s legacy is the fact that he is the best player to play for the best-ever club – and the player who put them back on top.

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