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Real Madrid have always had the very best players playing for them. Never afraid to spend big money in the transfer market, the Spanish giants have more often than not succeeded in convincing footballing superstars to ply their trade at the Santiago Bernabeu.Some true legends of the game have pulled on the pristine All White jersey of the Spanish giants.
Unsurprisingly, most of the players on this list are from Madrid’s golden era in the 1960s while some players from the famous galactico era of the 2000s also make it.Without much ado, let us take a look at the 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time.
#10 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 Emilio 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.
#9 Raul Gonzalez
A prolific goalscorer and a highly creative forward, Raul is regarded as one of the greatest and most consistent strikers of his generation. Raul was a quick, left-footed player, who was capable of scoring both in and outside the penalty area with his accurate and powerful shot.
In addition to these characteristics, Raul is remembered for his leadership and discipline; throughout his extensive career, he never received a red card, and he was rarely booked. For his technical skills, elegance and performances, he was nicknamed "El Ferrari," or "The Ferrari," by Fernando Hierro.
A true and loyal servant for the Los Blancos, Raul Gonzalez displayed amazing longevity at the top level and is still the most capped player in Real Madrid history having played 741 times (343 goals) for his childhood club.
During his amazing 16 year spell at Real Madrid, Raul won a stunning 6 La Liga titles, 3 Champions League titles, 2 Intercontinental cups and 4 Supercopas. Raul holds a special place in the hearts of the Real Madrid supporters.
#8 Raymond Kopa
Winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1958 and an integral part of Madrid’s golden generation of the late 1950s, Raymond Kopa was one of the greatest and most skilful players to play for Real Madrid.
Having signed in 1956 from french side Stade de Reims, Kopa made a huge impact in his 3 years at the club. The Frenchman won two La Liga titles and 3 European cups during his short stay at the Spanish capital.
An attacking midfielder, Kopa was known for his agility, dribbling skills and vision. He was a renowned playmaker and a prolific goalscorer chipping in with goals at crucial matches. He also quite often provided moments of magic which helped Real Madrid put in dominant performances in the League and European Cups.
Although Kopa spent only 3 years at the Spanish capital, he had a huge impact during his stay and is undoubtedly one of the greatest Real Madrid player of all times.
#7 Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas, or "San Iker," as he is popularly known is one of the greatest ever goalkeepers of our generation. Although Casillas' powers waned in the last few seasons before his eventual retirement in 2020, football aficionados will remember when scoring against Casillas was an almost impossible task.
The second most capped player for Real Madrid with a staggering 725 appearances for the club, Casillas had a long and glorious career with the La Liga giants, winning 5 La Ligas and 3 Champions League titles in his 16 year spell with Real Madrid.
In his prime, he was an athletic keeper, known in particular for his outstanding speed, agility, reflexes, consistency and shot-stopping, as well as his positioning, concentration, penalty-saving and leadership. Casillas’ last trophy with Real Madrid was their famous La Decima Champions League triumph against rivals Atletico Madrid in 2014.
A true legend of the game, Madridistas will forever be indebted to San Iker for his long and loyal service to Real Madrid.
#6 Roberto Carlos
The greatest attacking full-back of all time, Roberto Carlos spent 11 extremely successful seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu where he won 4 La Liga titles and 3 Champions Leagues.
Real Madrid’s most capped foreign player with 584 appearances, Roberto Carlos made the left flank his own, bombing up and down and putting several inspirational performances. Former Real Madrid and Spain national team manager, Vicente del Bosque complimented the Brazilian’s immense work rate when he said:
"Roberto Carlos can cover the entire [left] wing all on his own."
The legendary Brazilian also contributed with crucial goals several times during his long career, scoring some spectacular and scarcely believable free-kicks in his career. Carlos won every trophy possible with Real Madrid and he was one of the biggest stars in the galactico era for Los Blancos.
#5 Jose Pirri
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 midfield player scoring 172 goals in 561 appearances.
The Madrid legend won an astonishing 10 La Liga titles, four Spanish Cups and the 1966 European Champion Clubs' Cup. After retiring Pirri completed his studies to qualify as a physician and joined Madrid's medical staff.
#4 Ferenc Puskas
Blessed with a thunderous left foot and superb positioning skills, Ferenc Puskas is easily one of the greatest finishers to ever play the game. He was the lynchpin of the all-conquering “Magical Magyars” and led the Hungary team to unprecedented success.
During the second half of his career, Puskas formed a deadly combination with the great Alfredo Di Stefano during his stint at Real Madrid as they the duo tore up defences and guided the Los Blancos to five straight league titles and three European Cups.
The legendary Hungarian striker was La Liga’s top scorer for 4 seasons in a row. His phenomenal goals scoring prowess can be seen from the fact that he scored an astonishing 242 goals from 262 games.
Puskas played a major role in establishing Real Madrid as a European Superpower and is undoubtedly one of the greatest strikers of all time.
#3 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 successful 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 that Gento is one of the greatest players of all time.
#2 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 was worth every single penny so Los Blancos.
He is the club’s all-time record goalscorer with 450 goals to his name and is also the higest-scoring player in UEFA Champions League history with 135, having also won the competition a staggering five times in his career so far.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018 to complete a surprise switch to Juventus before returning to Manchester United in 2021, but he will be remembered for a long time for his exploits at the Santiago Bernabeu.
#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.
Honourable mentions – Zinedine Zidane, Emilio Butragueno, Carlos Santillana and Santiago Bernabeu.
#8 Raymond Kopa
Winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1958 and an integral part of Madrid’s golden generation of the late 1950s, Raymond Kopa was one of the greatest and most skilful players to play for Real Madrid.
Having signed in 1956 from french side Stade de Reims, Kopa made a huge impact in his 3 years at the club. The Frenchman won two La Liga titles and 3 European cups during his short stay at the Spanish capital.
An attacking midfielder, Kopa was known for his agility, dribbling skills and vision. He was a renowned playmaker and a prolific goalscorer chipping in with goals at crucial matches. He also quite often provided moments of magic which helped Real Madrid put in dominant performances in the League and European Cups.
Although Kopa spent only 3 years at the Spanish capital, he had a huge impact during his stay and is undoubtedly one of the greatest Real Madrid player of all times.
#7 Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas or ‘San Iker’ as he is popularly known is one of the greatest ever goalkeepers of our generation. Although Casillas has seen his powers wane in the last two seasons, football aficionados will remember the time when scoring against Casillas was almost an impossible task.
The second most capped player ever for Real Madrid, Casillas had a long and glorious career with the La Liga giants, winning 5 La Ligas and 3 Champions League titles in his 16 year spell with Real Madrid.
In his prime, he was an athletic keeper, known in particular for his outstanding speed, agility, reflexes, consistency and shot-stopping, as well as his positioning, concentration, penalty-saving and leadership. Casillas’ last trophy with Real Madrid was their famous La Decima Champions League triumph against rivals Atletico Madrid in 2014.
A true legend of the game, Madridistas will forever be indebted to San Iker for his long and loyal service to Real Madrid.
#6 Roberto Carlos
The greatest attacking full-back of all time, Roberto Carlos spent 11 extremely successful seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu where he won 4 La Liga titles and 3 Champions Leagues.
Real Madrid’s most capped foreign player with 584 appearances, Roberto Carlos made the left flank his own, bombing up and down and putting several inspirational performances. Former Real Madrid and Spain national team manager, Vicente del Bosque complimented the Brazilian’s immense work rate when he said:
"Roberto Carlos can cover the entire [left] wing all on his own."
The legendary Brazilian also contributed with crucial goals several times during his long career, scoring some spectacular and scarcely believable free-kicks in his career. Carlos won every trophy possible with Real Madrid and he was one of the biggest stars in the galactico era for Los Blancos.
#5 Jose Pirri
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 midfield player scoring 172 goals in 561 appearances.
The Madrid legend won an astonishing 10 La Liga titles, four Spanish Cups and the 1966 European Champion Clubs' Cup. After retiring Pirri completed his studies to qualify as a physician and joined Madrid's medical staff.
#4 Ferenc Puskas
Blessed with a thunderous left foot and superb positioning skills, Ferenc Puskas is easily one of the greatest finishers to ever play the game. He was the lynchpin of the all-conquering “Magical Magyars” and led the Hungary team to unprecedented success.
During the second half of his career, Puskas formed a deadly combination with the great Alfredo Di Stefano during his stint at Real Madrid as they the duo tore up defences and guided the Los Blancos to five straight league titles and three European Cups.
The legendary Hungarian striker was La Liga’s top scorer for 4 seasons in a row. His phenomenal goals scoring prowess can be seen from the fact that he scored an astonishing 242 goals from 262 games.
Puskas played a major role in establishing Real Madrid as a European Superpower and is undoubtedly one of the greatest strikers of all time.
#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 368 appearances, Ronaldo has scored an astonishing 381 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, 2 FIFA Club World Cups and 2 UEFA Super Cups. 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
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 successful 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 that Gento is one of the greatest players 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.
Honourable mentions – Zinedine Zidane, Emilio Butragueno, Carlos Santillana and Santiago Bernabeu.
