Ranking the 5 longest-serving players at Real Madrid

Bhargav
Karim Benzema is one of the longest-serving players at Real Madrid.
Karim Benzema is one of the longest-serving players at Real Madrid.

Real Madrid are one of the most successful teams in club football. The record 13-time Champions League and 34-time La Liga winners are among three teams that have never been relegated from the Spanish top flight.

In fact, Los Blancos have never had a lean period in their illustrious history. Considering their rich history and pedigree, many world-class players have turned up for the Merengues over the years. Many are still plying their trade at the club.

On that note, here's a look at the five longest-serving players at the Santiago Bernabeu from the current squad.


#5 Isco - 8 years, 7 months

Isco has been at the Bernabeu for almost a decade.
Isco has been at the Bernabeu for almost a decade.

Isco arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2013 from Malaga with a lot of fanfare. Almost a decade and exactly 350 games later, it can be said that the 29-year-old midfielder has had a fairly successful stint.

That is true despite the player being on the fringes in recent seasons, and linked with an exit from the club. The two-time La Liga and four-time Champions League winner has appeared only 14 times this season.

Isco has contributed 53 goals and 56 assists across competitions, with two of those strikes coming this season. Considering the player's bit-part role under Carlo Ancelotti, Isco looks all set to leave the Bernabeu this summer as a free agent.


#4 Dani Carvajal - 8 years, 7 months

Dani Carvajal has been at the Bernabeu for almost a decade.
Dani Carvajal has been at the Bernabeu for almost a decade.

Like Isco, Dani Carvajal also arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2013.

The 30-year-old right-back has scored just seven times, but has provided an impressive 51 assists across competitions. The injury-prone Carvajal recently played his 300th game for Real Madrid. He has bagged a goal and assist apiece in 20 games across competitions this season.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man, like Isco, is also a two-time La Liga and four-time Champions League winner. Having signed a contract extension last year, Carvajal is set to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu until the summer of 2025.

#3 Luka Modric - 9 years, 5 months

Luka Modric is a key player for Real Madrid.
Luka Modric is a key player for Real Madrid.

Luka Modric has been a key player for Real Madrid since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur almost a decade ago.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has made over 400 appearances across competitions for Los Blancos, contributing almost 100 goals (30 goals, 66 assists). Now 36, Modric is still going strong despite being on the wrong side of thirty.

The diminutive midfield dynamo doesn't play week in week out due to his advancing years, but he plays all the key matches. However, the four-time Champions League winner has played all seven games for Real Madrid in the competition this season.

With Modric's current contract expiring this summer, Los Blancos are reportedly in talks with the player's entourage to extend his stay in the Spanish capital by another year.


#2 Karim Benzema - 12 years, 7 months

Karim Benzema has been a terrific performer for Los Blancos.
Karim Benzema has been a terrific performer for Los Blancos.

Karim Benzema has been a superb performer for Real Madrid since arriving from Lyon in the summer of 2009.

The 34-year-old centre-forward played second fiddle to a certain Cristiano Ronaldo for almost a decade. However, he hit a different gear after the departure of Los Blancos' all-time top-scorer to Juventus in 2018.

The Frenchman, who has made close to 600 appearances for Real Madrid, has bagged a rich haul of 303 goals and 153 assists across competitions. That includes 24 goals and nine assists this season as Los Blancos seek their second La Liga title in three years.

He is contracted to Real Madrid until 2023, but the club's pursuit of Erling Haaland could cut short the Frenchman's stay at the Bernabeu. With Kylian Mbappe also due to arrive next season, Benzema might see his game time drop, which he can't afford in a FIFA World Cup year.


#1 Marcelo - 15 years, 1 month

Marcelo is all set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
Marcelo is all set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.

Following Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos' departure last summer, Marcelo is now the longest-serving player in the Spanish top flight.

Having arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in January 2007, the left-back has amassed over 500 appearances for the club, contributing 38 goals and 101 assists. One of those strikes came in the 2014 Champions League final, where Los Blancos completed their La Decima.

One of only two non-Spanish players with over 500 caps for Real Madrid, Marcelo is now a pale shadow of his illustrious self in the Spanish capital.

The Real Madrid captain is not Ancelotti's plans, having appeared only 11 times across competitions this season. His lack of pace and loss of positional awareness has made him a back-up option at the club. Marcelo is all set to return to his native Brazil on a free transfer this summer.

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