Top 5 Real Madrid signings of all time

Real Madrid have always grabbed the headlines in the transfer market. One of the most powerful clubs in the world, Real Madrid have alway managed to sign the world’s top players often spending big to get their desired players.

With so many marquee players and “galacticos” having made their move to Madrid, it is no easy task to pick the five greatest Real Madrid transfers of all time. From Di Stefano to Cristiano Ronaldo let us take a look at the 5 greatest buys in Real Madrid history:

#5 Hugo Sanchez

One of the game’s greatest ever strikers, Hugo Sanchez was a true legend at Real Madrid. The Mexican forward absolutely tormented defences and he was capable of scoring spectacular goals at ease.

Signed from their derby rivals Atletico Madrid, Sanchez became an integral part of La Quinta del Buitre (Vulture’s cohort) along with players like Emilo Butragueno and Miguel Pardeza. Having scored 208 goals in 283 appearances, the legendary Mexican soon established himself as a firm fan favourite thanks to his exemplary goalscoring exploits.

In his 7 year spell at Los Blancos, Sanchez won an incredible 5 La Liga titles, 3 Supercopas, 1 Copa Del Rey and 1 UEFA cup. During his time, Real Madrid won 5 consecutive La Ligas in which Sanchez won the pichichi award 4 consecutive seasons in a row.

Arguably Real Madrid’s greatest number 9 after the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano, Hugo Sanchez’s transfer from Atletico Madrid to Real Madrid changed the face of Spanish football and made Real Madrid a dominant force in the mid-1980s.

#4 Jose Pirri

Pirri (centre) was an inspirational leader

Bought from Granada in 1964, Pirri’s transfer heralded in a new era of success for the all whites. The Real Madrid legend represented the club he loved for 15 long years winning numerous trophies in his long and successful career.

Pirri played for Madrid from 1964-1979 and he was even their club captain for four years. The Spaniard is well known for his leadership skills, tenacity and ferocity. However, his best asset was his stamina, allowing him to contribute regularly to both the attack and defence without relenting. Pirri was also a very good passer and scored a remarkable amount goals for a defensive player scoring 123 league goals.

The Madrid legend won an astonishing 10 La Liga titles, four Spanish Cups and the 1966 European Champion Clubs' Cup.

The Spanish defensive midfielder had superb positioning and tackling skills and he was one of the best at breaking up plays and starting off attacks. Pirri also had an eye for goal scoring some crucial goals in his stellar career.

After retiring Pirri completed his studies to qualify as a physician and joined Madrid's medical staff

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo

One of the two standout players of this generation, Cristiano Ronaldo is easily one of the greatest players of all time. Ronaldo joined Real Madrid from Manchester United for a then world record fee of £80 million and he has been worth every single penny so far.

Ever since his move to Real Madrid, his goalscoring exploits have been simply mind boggling. In 348 appearances, Ronaldo has scored an astonishing 364 goals and has been at the forefront of Real Madrid’s two Champions League triumphs in the last 3 years.

He is already the club’s record all-time goalscorer and he has broken a host of goalscoring records during his time at Madrid such as having the most hat-tricks and he is also the all-time Champions League top scorer.

The Portuguese superstar has won 1 La Liga, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Copa del Reys, 1 FIFA Club World Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. The only thing keeping Ronaldo in the third position is his lack of trophies compared to the two players above him.

With Ronaldo showing no signs of slowing down, he might well end up becoming the greatest Real Madrid player of all time by the time he finishes his career.

#2 Francisco Gento

Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu with Francisco Gento

The only player in the history of the game to win six European cups, Francisco Gento was a pacy winger who was an integral part of the most succesful team in Real Madrid’s history.

Gento was known for his remarkable pace and is considered by many to be the fastest player to ever play. At his peak, Gento was clocked to have run 100 metres in 10.9 seconds with the ball.

Gento was a very smart player who always managed to beat the offside trap. Because of his phenomenal pace, he almost always got the ball first, and ran through to put a team-mate in on goal, or score himself.

The number of trophies Gento won with Madrid is simply astonishing: 12 La Liga titles, 2 Copa del Reys, 6 European Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 2 Latin cups. It is safe to say Gento is one of the greatest signings of all time.

#1 Alfredo Di Stefano

Was there any doubt as to who would head this list? Undoubtedly the player who redefined Real Madrid’s legacy as one of the greatest club teams in the world, Di Stefano is arguably the best Real Madrid player of all time.

Not many people know that Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano had initially signed for Barcelona in the year 1953 after a dispute over his signature with Real. The Spanish federation came up with a ludicrous solution where Di Stefano would play alternate seasons at both clubs, however, Barcelona withdrew from the agreement in protest leaving Di Stefano free to sign for their great rivals Real Madrid.

Although his move might be controversial, there is no denying the huge impact he had during his time at Los Blancos. Di Stefano scored an incredible 307 goals in 396 appearances and won an amazing amount of trophies. Di Stefano is also the only player to score in 5 European Cup finals.

8 La Liga titles, 5 European Cups, 1 Copa Del Rey and 1 Intercontinental cup won during Di Stefano’s time show what a huge impact the Argentine had. Di Stefano is undoubtedly Real Madrid’s greatest signing of all time.