Ranking the 75 best players in Real Madrid history
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.