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The 25 Best Real Madrid Players of All Time—Ranked
The greatest Real Madrid players of all time are also some of the biggest superstars to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Over the course of the last century, generational players at every position have represented Real Madrid. Whether they came to the Spanish capital in a blockbuster transfer or rose through the La Fábrica ranks, legends of the game have contributed to the legacy of Spain and Europe’s winningest club.
After all, lifting 36 La Liga trophies and 15 Champions League titles was only made possible by the moments of magic created on the pitch throughout every era of football. In some cases, the greats who have donned the white shirt can only be separated by their silverware.
Here are the 25 best Real Madrid players of all time.
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Real Madrid Legends: The Best Real Madrid Players of All Time
25. Gareth Bale
Although his tenure at the Spanish capital ended with a whimper, Gareth Bale’s contributions to Real Madrid cannot be overlooked. The Welshman scored 106 goals and won five Champions League titles in a white shirt, playing his part in one of the most dangerous attacks in European history.
Bale’s stunning bicycle kick to secure the club’s 13th Champions League trophy will stand the test of time, as will his blistering run and finish against Barcelona to secure the Copa del Rey title in his debut campaign.
24. Vicente del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque might be better remembered for his days on Real Madrid’s touchline; the former boss led the club to Champions League glory in 2000 and 2002, along with five other trophies.
Yet his time on the pitch produced even more silverware for Los Blancos. Del Bosque, who was known for his intelligence, versatility and ability to organize the team’s midfield, lifted nine trophies, including five league titles, with Real Madrid.
23. Ronaldo
The greatest moments of Ronaldo’s career undoubtedly came during his time representing Barcelona and the Brazil national team, but that does not diminish his accomplishments at Real Madrid.
The striker was a true Galáctico, tallying 104 goals in just 177 appearances. Ronaldo helped the Spanish giants top La Liga in his debut campaign in 2002–23 and then won the Pichichi Trophy in his second season.
The icon was the club’s leading goalscorer in all four of his full seasons before he left for Milan in 2007.
22. Marcelo
Roberto Carlos left nearly impossible boots to fill on the left flank for Real Madrid, but his fellow countryman Marcelo soon rose to the occasion. The Brazilian’s attacking flair and creativity paired with his stout defending turned him into a club legend.
Marcelo owns the second-most trophies in club history, behind only Luka Modrić. Atop his résumé are the five Champions League crowns he helped the club claim over the course of his 16-year stint.
21. José Antonio Camacho
It took less than one season playing for Real Madrid Castilla for José Antonio Camacho to secure his place in the first team. There, he began building his legacy as one of the great defenders in club history.
His defensive prowess was matched by his immense will to win, eventually earning the title of Real Madrid’s “great captain.” Camacho ended his career in a white shirt with 577 appearances to his name and 19 titles in his trophy cabinet.
20. Iván Zamorano
Iván Zamorano did more in four seasons with Real Madrid than some players with double his number of appearances. The Chilean scored 101 goals in 173 matches for Los Blancos; 28 came in the club’s 1994–95 campaign, which ended with the La Liga title for Los Blancos and the Pichichi Trophy for the forward.
For 32 years, Zamorano held the record for the most goals (37) scored in a debut season for Real Madrid until Kylian Mbappé broke it in 2024–25.
19. Emilio Butragueño
The fact that a player of Emilio Butragueño’s quality only ranks in 19th place on this list is perhaps the best evidence to showcase just how many superstars have played for Real Madrid.
The Spaniard was brilliant with the ball at his feet, whether he was blowing by defenders with his dribbling ability or sending sensational goals into the back of the net. Butragueño led the Quinta del Buitre (the Vulture’s Cohort), which stands as one of the best generations in club history.
The forward’s crowning individual achievement for Real Madrid came when he won the Pichichi Trophy for his 1991–92 campaign.
18. Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos carved an identity on the left flank that puts him in the pantheon of the best fullbacks to ever don a white shirt. The Brazilian’s left foot, lethal speed and powerful shot helped Real Madrid win three Champions League titles.
Beyond his silverware, Carlos remains in the club’s history books with 527 appearances to his name, the fourth all-time most by any foreign player.
17. Toni Kroos
Real Madrid signed one of the best midfielders of all time for just €25 million ($28.9 million). Toni Kroos joined the Spanish giants after winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany and the rest is history.
The midfield metronome completed Spanish football in his 10-year stint with Los Blancos, lifting 23 trophies, five of which were Champions League titles. Kroos’s vision, expert passing and unwavering composure made him an irreplaceable piece of Real Madrid’s XI.
16. Ricardo Zamora
There is a reason Ricardo Zamora was known as the “divine one.” The goalkeeper quickly become a hero for Real Madrid, leading the club to its first two La Liga titles in 1931–32 and 1932–33.
Remembered as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, Zamora conceded the least amount of goals in the Spanish top-flight in 1930, 1932 and 1933. His legacy lives on through the Zamora Trophy, awarded to the goalkeeper who concedes the fewest goals in La Liga every season.
15. Raymond Kopa
Raymond Kopa became the second Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d’Or award for his performances in 1958. The winger helped Los Blancos secure back-to-back La Liga titles and three consecutive European titles from 1957 to 1959.
Kopa’s dribbling ability, pace and vision allowed him to shine on his own despite playing alongside Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Paco Gento.
14. Pirri
Pirri is one of the most versatile, relentless players to ever represent Real Madrid. Not only did he score 172 goals for Los Blancos, but he was talented enough to play in just about any position on the pitch, including defense.
The Spaniard memorably played the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final with his arm in a sling and the 1975 Copa del Rey final with a broken jaw. It really is no surprise that a player with such tenacity helped the club win an astonishing 10 La Liga titles.
13. Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez is one of the best foreign players to ever suit up for Real Madrid. The Mexican recorded 208 goals in 282 matches, making him one of only seven players in the club’s history to score over 200 goals.
Sánchez won five La Liga titles with Los Blancos and four Spanish Super Cups. He topped the La Liga scoring charts multiple times, including in 1989–90 when he bagged 38 goals.
12. Luís Figo
Despite his controversial transfer from Barcelona, Luís Figo proved his worth to the Madridistas in the five years he spent in Madrid. His perfectly timed assists and 57 goals for Real Madrid helped the team win two La Liga titles and the 2002 Champions League.
The midfielder’s trophy cabinet might not be as impressive as many of the other players on this list, but his Ballon d’Or is proof enough of his brilliant skill on the ball. The Portuguese superstar laid the foundation for a fellow countryman who would become a legend in the sport.
11. Karim Benzema
Playing alongside one of the best players of all time was no problem for Karim Benzema. The Frenchman proved to be one of the best No. 9s in Real Madrid history, scoring 354 goals in 648 appearances. He sits just behind Cristiano Ronaldo as the club’s second all-time leading goalscorer.
The striker also bagged 80 La Liga assists in his Real Madrid career, the most by any player to represent Los Blancos. In 2022, Benzema won his fifth Champions League title with the club and later took home the Ballon d’Or.
10. Luka Modrić
The class and quality Luka Modrić brought to Real Madrid’s midfield is generational. The Croatia international might have reached the pinnacle of his individual career when he won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, but Madridistas were singing his praises long before (and after) the prestigious award.
Modrić’s vision and majestic passing created the third-most assists (60) by a Real Madrid player in La Liga, behind only Kroos and Benzema. The midfielder is also one of only four players in history to win six Champions League titles.
9. Santiago Bernabéu
Santiago Bernabéu is one of Real Madrid’s most important figures, so much so that the club’s stadium is named after the Spaniard. His physicality, leadership and precision in front of goal eventually earned him the captain’s armband. He ended his career with 70 goals in 80 official matches.
Off the pitch, Bernabéu became Real Madrid’s president. He led the club from behind the scenes for 34 years and built the club into one of the sport's biggest powerhouses.
8. Ferenc Puskás
Not many players have an award named after them, but Ferenc Puskás does. The forward is one of the best goalscorers in the sport’s history and showed his talent when he came to the Spanish capital in 1958. The Hungarian scored 242 goals in 262 appearances, making him Los Blancos’ sixth leading goalscorer of all time.
Puskás won three European Cups with Real Madrid and scored seven goals in European Cup finals, the most by any player in history. Four came against Frankfurt in 1960, making him the only player to ever find the back of the net four times in a European Cup or Champions League final.
7. Paco Gento
Despite starting his Real Madrid career in 1953, Paco Gento still holds two incredible records with the club. The winger won 12 La Liga titles and six European Cups with Los Blancos; no other player, past or present, has more in either competition.
Gento’s 182 goals puts him among Real Madrid’s top 10 goalscorers of all time. The Spaniard served as the club’s honorary president until his death in 2022.
6. Raúl
In the 16 years Raúl spent with Real Madrid, the striker won just about every trophy there is to win. His six La Liga titles and three Champions League titles headline his impressive résumé, but it was his lethal finishing and consistency that turned him into an icon at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Spaniard is the club’s third all-time leading scorer with 323 goals in a record 741 appearances. No other player in Real Madrid history has made more appearances than Raúl.
5. Iker Casillas
Every goalkeeper that follows in Iker Casillas’s footsteps has an impossible legacy to live up to. The Spaniard won his first Champions League title just days after he turned 19 years old and went on to win two more with Real Madrid.
In his prime, Casillas was the best goalkeeper in the world and routinely delivered elite performances between the posts to help Real Madrid claim title after title. He remains Los Blancos’ second-most capped player of all time with 725 career appearances.
4. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane’s name holds a special weight among football fans across the globe, not just Madridistas. The Frenchman is one of the sport’s greatest midfielders; the control, skill and creativity Zidane brought to the pitch looked effortless and almost otherworldly.
Despite only spending five years as a Real Madrid player, Zidane cemented his legacy with his stunning volley in the 2001 Champions League final. To this day, the goal is one of the competition’s best.
His legend status at the Santiago Bernabéu only grew when he returned as a manager to lead Real Madrid to the first ever Champions League three-peat from 2016 to 2018.
3. Sergio Ramos
The best defender to ever don the Real Madrid crest is Sergio Ramos. The captain’s ruthless—sometimes borderline—aggression led Los Blancos’ backline for almost two decades. Ramos’s heroics in his own half helped the club win four Champions League titles and five La Liga titles.
He is remembered for so much more than his defending, though. The Spaniard’s goal in dying seconds of the 2014 Champions League final will forever be one of his and the club’s greatest moments. Ramos is also Real Madrid’s 20th all-time leading scorer with 101 goals in 671 appearances.
2. Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano’s résumé is as impressive as they come. The Argentine’s 308 goals helped Real Madrid win five European Cups and eight La Liga titles during his 11-year stint with the club. He even found the back of the net in all five of Real Madrid’s victorious European Cup finals.
Over 60 years after he stopped playing for Los Blancos, Di Stéfano still remains the club’s fourth all-time leading goalscorer. In fact, he would have remained atop the list had Raúl, Benzema, and the club’s best player not come along.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Was there ever any doubt about the greatest Real Madrid player of all time? Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy and achievements might never be topped, at least not anytime soon. The Portugal captain is the club’s all-time leading scorer with a staggering 451 goals in 438 appearances.
Ronaldo added four Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three Club World Cups and more to his overflowing trophy cabinet during his time in Madrid. He also won four Ballon d’Or awards for his heroics while representing Los Blancos.
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