'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid are one of the most successful and famous clubs in the world. They have maintained their status as a European powerhouse for over a century. Los Blancos are the most successful team in the history of the Champions League.
They have won Europe's elite tournament four times in the last decade. Needless to say, Real Madrid continue to be a dominant force in club football. They are a dream destination for the majority of kids who grow up wanting to be a professional footballer.
Real Madrid have been home to some of the greatest footballers of all time
Real Madrid have always been able to attract some of the very best in the business. They continue to do so and the lure of playing for one of the greatest clubs in the world is difficult for any player to pass up.
Real Madrid have and continue to field some of the best players to have graced the game. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best foreign players to have played for Real Madrid.
#5 Karim Benzema (France)
Karim Benzema was signed by Real Madrid in 2009 from Lyon for a reported sum of €35 million. The Santiago Bernabeu outfit had already signed Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same transfer window.
Benzema's signing didn't make as much noise as one would expect. But 12 years later, the Real Madrid striker continues to prove just how great a signing he was.
A technically gifted footballer, Benzema has consistently tailored his game to suit the needs of his side. With Cristiano Ronaldo tearing it up and being the main goalgetter for his side in the last decade, Benzema was happy to be part of the supporting cast.
He has seen many a Galactico come and go but he continues to stay loyal to Real Madrid and give it his all every time he steps onto the pitch. The Frenchman has made 559 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions, scoring 279 goals and providing 144 assists.
At the age of 33, he was Real Madrid's best player in the 2020-21 season and earned a call-up to the French national side after a six-year layoff. Benzema certainly looks like he has a lot more years in his tank. He will go down in history as one of the greatest strikers to have played for Real Madrid.
Benzema has won three La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, two Copa Del Reys and two Supercopa de Espanas with Real Madrid.
#4 Luka Modric (Croatia)
Luka Modric is the only player to break the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly over the Ballon d'Or. The Croatia international won the award in 2018 for his exploits with both club and country. Modric has truly etched his name into Madrid folklore but it hasn't always been easy for him in the Spanish capital.
He was voted the worst La Liga signing in a poll conducted by MARCA in 2012 after he failed to hit his stride in his debut season for Los Blancos. However, there was no looking back from that point on as Modric became a vital cog in midfield for Real Madrid.
He became one-third of one of the most iconic midfield trios in recent times alongside Toni Kroos and Casemiro. The central midfielder is a joy to watch on the football pitch. He has a wide array of skills that vary from nimble touches and flicks to outside-of-the-boot crosses and thunderbolts from range.
Modric is 35-years-old and has won four UEFA Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and three Supercopa de Espanas with Los Blancos.
#3 Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zinedine Zidane is not only one of the greatest Real Madrid players but he is also one of the greatest footballers of all time. Zizou was poetry in motion on a football pitch. He made bossing midfield battles against the best in the business look easy.
Zidane was roped in as part of Florentino Perez's 'Galacticos' project in 2001. He was signed for a then world-record transfer fee that rose to €76 million. He proved to be worth every penny. The French World Cup winner showcased his class and immaculate technique to help Real Madrid to a La Liga title and a Champions League title.
He also won the Supercopa de Espana on two occasions in his five-year spell with Real Madrid. Zidane played some of the best football of his career donning the storied whites of Real Madrid. Zizou returned to Real Madrid as manager and won three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles as well as two La Liga titles.
#2 Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
The legendary Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskas was one of the most vital cogs of the Real Madrid side that dominated football in the late 1950s. Puskas is one of the greatest strikers of all time and he joined Real Madrid as a 31-year-old.
He struck up a wonderful partnership with Alfredo di Stefano. The duo tore up La Liga as they guided Real Madrid to five consecutive top flight titles and three European Cups.
Puskas is widely regarded as football's first international superstar. He finished as the top scorer in four seasons. Puskas scored 242 goals from 262 games for Los Blancos and is one of the most prolific strikers of all time.
Puskas had a thunderous left foot and kept breaking goalscoring records during his eight-year spell at Real Madrid.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo is not only the greatest foreign player to have played for Real Madrid but he is also arguably the greatest player to have ever played for them. Ronaldo was phenomenal for Real Madrid, winning four Ballon d'Or awards during his nine-year spell at the club.
He was the driving force behind their dominance in the UEFA Champions League. Ronaldo finished as the top scorer in all four editions of the Champions League that Los Blancos won in the last decade. He was also their top scorer in the nine seasons that he played for Real Madrid.
The Portuguese international averaged more than one goal a game. By the time he left in 2018, he had scored an incredible 451 goals in 438 appearances for Real Madrid. A man for the big occasion, Ronaldo has won two La Liga titles, two Copa Del Reys and two Supercopa de Espanas with Real Madrid.
