5 foreign players who have scored the most goals in La Liga history

#3 Hugo Sanchez - 234 goals

Real Madrid legend Hugo Sanchez playing in MLS

Hugo Sanchez dominated La Liga between 1981 and 1984. The Mexican played for Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and later Rayo Vallecano, scoring a total of 234 goals in 347 appearances.

The centre-forward was lightning quick, had an acute sense of positioning and had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Having caught everyone’s attention at Atletico, Sanchez’s best spell came on the other side of town, at Real Madrid.

Between 1985 and 1990, Sanchez won five La Liga titles with Los Blancos, each time emerging as their leading goalscorer. He was also chosen as the best foreign player in 1987 and 1990.

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#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - 311 goals

Al Jazira v Real Madrid CF - FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017

In 2009, Real Madrid broke the bank to bring Manchester United’s Ballon d’Or winner to the Santiago Bernabeu. Finalizing a record-breaking €94million transfer, Cristiano Ronaldo joined the La Liga club and helped them to new heights with his goals and assists.

Over the course of his Real Madrid spell, Ronaldo scored 311 La Liga goals and provided 96 assists.

Ronaldo started out as a left-winger at Real Madrid but eventually became an all-powerful goalscoring machine. He could score with either foot, head the ball better than most, and had ice in his veins when shooting from the spot.

Ronaldo led Real Madrid to two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues in nine years, amongst other honors. For his exploits in Real Madrid’s colors, Ronaldo won four Ballons d’Or between 2009 and 2018. The Portuguese superstar also won the La Liga Golden Boot (the Pichichi Trophy) three times at Real Madrid.

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#1 Lionel Messi - 474 goals

Real Valladolid CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

The top goalscorer in Barcelona’s history, Lionel Messi, sits pretty at the top of our list, winning the race by a landslide. The Argentine international is not only the top foreign goalscorer in La Liga, but is also the overall leader.

Between 2004-05 and 2020-21, Messi played 520 La Liga games for Barcelona, registering 474 goals and 214 assists.

On the pitch Messi was nothing short of a sensation for Barcelona. More often than not he was La Liga’s Pichichi winner as well as the leading-assist provider. He scored from unbelievable angles, could break the opponents’ ankles with his feints, and had the quality to pick out his teammates at his will.

Messi’s most productive La Liga season came in 2011-12 when he scored a whopping 50 goals and provided 34 assists in 37 league matches. In total, Messi won the La Liga Golden Boot a whopping eight times before joining Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain last summer.