10 greatest players in La Liga history ranked - Do Messi and Ronaldo make the cut?

#9 Santillana (Carlos Alonso González) - Real Madrid

Carlos Alonso González (Image Courtesy: Corazonblanco)

Carlos Alonso Gonzalez, better known as Santillana, is a Real Madrid legend who spent 17 seasons with the Santiago Bernabeu outfit, helping Los Blancos dominate Spain during his time with the club.

At the tender age of 19, Santillana, earned a move from Racing Santander to Los Merengues and had an instant impact, helping them win La Liga in the debut season, having scored 10 goals.

The Real Madrid forward made a name for himself as one of the best strikers in the history of Spanish football and was known for his heading ability, which is extremely impressive considering his relatively small height, 1.75m.

In total, Santillana netted 289 goals in 645 games for Real Madrid, while helping them win 9 league titles, along with 4 Copa del Rey titles, 2 UEFA Cups and a solitary Copa de La Liga. He was also crowned the winner of the Pichichi trophy of the second division, for his exploits in the 1970-71 season, when he scored 17 goals.

The 64-year-old also amassed 56 caps for the Spanish national team, while participating in two World Cups and European Championships, with Spain finishing as runners-up in the 1984 Euros.

With 464 points under his belt, the Spaniard features at 9th position in the list of the greatest footballers in the history of La Liga.