#3. Cristiano Ronaldo
No list of Real Madrid greats will be complete with Cristiano Ronaldo. He is probably the club’s best ever player in terms of pure statistics if not in terms of honours. He became the most expensive player in 2009 when he was signed for a record fee of 94 million Euros.
Looking at the success Barcelona were enjoying with Lionel Messi, Madrid needed an answer to counter them. Ronaldo was one of the two best players in the world then and had just lost the UEFA Champions League final to Barcelona with Manchester United.
It was the perfect opportunity for the Portuguese to go head to head with Messi and also help Real Madrid compete with the ridiculous strength of Barcelona. 8 years and so many appearances later, Ronaldo is now their record goalscorer both in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
He has helped Madrid to a La Liga title and two Champions Leagues in that time. At 32 he is still going strong and is nowhere close to retiring. In an era where there are players like Leo Messi signing Ronaldo was essential to try and rival that dominant team.
