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#3 Luka Modric
The Croatian international was termed the worst La Liga signing in a poll conducted by MARCA in 2012. Nine years later, Luka Modric has done enough to go down as one of the best midfielders to have ever played for Real Madrid.
It has been one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent times. Modric became the first player to break the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi duopoly over the Ballon d'Or when he won the award in 2018.
Modric is not built like the archetypal central midfielder, but he has made up for it with his workrate and incredible technical ability. He uses his body well to shield the ball and it is nearly impossible to steal the ball from his feet. Modric's agility, deft touches and body movements make him as elusive as anyone on a football pitch.
Even at the age of 35, he continues to be one of the first names on the Real Madrid teamsheet. In the 2020-21 season, he made 48 appearances for Los Blancos across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists.
#2 Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is one of Real Madrid's greatest players of the 21st century. The club's fans were heartbroken to see him leave for Paris Saint-Germain this summer. He has embodied the spirit of the club for a decade and a half and has been a brilliant leader both on and off the pitch.
Ramos is one of the best defenders of his generation and he is unmatched in his dedication, aggression and passion. He also has the distinction of being one of the best goalscoring centre-backs of our times thanks to his incredible heading and set-piece abilities.
Ramos will be irreplaceable at Real Madrid and the club will miss him massively when the 2021-22 season starts. In the last decade, he has won three La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, two Copa Del Reys and three Supercopa de Espanas.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is not only the best Real Madrid player of the last decade but also arguably the greatest player to have ever donned their storied whites. After being signed from Manchester United in 2009 for €94 million, Ronaldo has broken every goalscoring record there was at Real Madrid.
He was inspirational and nothing short of a joy to watch as he went about breaking records and winning honours like clockwork. Ronaldo was the top scorer for Real Madrid in each of the nine seasons he played for them. He scored an incredible 451 goals in 438 appearances for Real Madrid.
Ronaldo was also unstoppable in the Champions League and seemed to relish the big occasions. Real Madrid owe Ronaldo massively for their incredible record in the Champions League in the last decade. His contributions will never be forgotten and he will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.
(Honorable mention: Gareth Bale)
