Real Madrid Club has more than a hundred years of operation so far. Los Blancos is known as the best team of the 20th century, so it is not difficult to understand that in the history of the Spanish royal club there are many outstanding players. In this article, bestsoccertips with you to take a look at the best real madrid players!
Top 10 best Real Madrid players of all time
1. Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández, born on May 20, 1981, in Madrid, is a former Spanish goalkeeper and a legend of Real Madrid in La Liga. Iker Casillas was voted the best goalkeeper in the world in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 by FIFPRO.
He is known as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of football as well as in contemporary football. Affectionately dubbed “Saint Iker” by fans, it speaks volumes about Casillas’ talent. During the peak years of his career, he was renowned for his extraordinary reflexes, numerous accurate saves, and exceptional leadership of the defense line. With 725 matches standing guard for Real Madrid, he helped the club secure 5 La Liga titles, 2 Copa del Rey trophies, and reached the pinnacle with 3 Champions League victories along with numerous other accolades, making Casillas undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the “White Swan.”
Casillas debuted for the national U-17 team at the age of 16, becoming the youngest player in the Spanish squad to participate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Two years later, Casillas continued his success by winning the FIFA World Youth Championship and the Meridian Cup. Casillas was not utilized in Euro 2000. He was selected for the Spanish national team for the 2002 World Cup. Initially intended as a backup for Santiago Cañizares, fate intervened when Santiago Cañizares was injured and withdrew from the tournament, making Casillas Spain’s number one goalkeeper. He played a crucial role in Spain’s progress in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, making two penalty saves in the Round of 16 against the Republic of Ireland.
2. Chendo
Miguel Porlán Noguera, born on October 12, 1961, known by his nickname Chendo, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a right-back. He spent his entire professional career with Real Madrid and was also a member of the Spanish national team, appearing in two World Cups.
Born in Totana, Murcia, Chendo played for Real Madrid for seventeen professional seasons, winning seven La Liga titles (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, and 1997), two Copa del Rey titles (1989 and 1993), one UEFA Champions League (1998), and consecutive UEFA Cups (1985 and 1986).
Chendo joined Real Madrid at the age of fifteen and was part of the club’s foundation team for five years, making his official debut for the first team on April 11, 1982, in a 2-1 victory over CD Castellón. In the following campaign, he featured in the next two matches. At the start of the 1983-1984 season, Juan José dominated the right-back position, starting in 5 of the first 6 matches until an injury sidelined him, allowing Chendo to take over. When Juan José returned to the first team, Chendo returned to the bench but ended the season once again as the first-choice, appearing in 26 overall competitions.
3. Jose Antonio Camacho
José Antonio Camacho Alfaro, born on June 8, 1955, is a retired Spanish football left-back and manager. As a left-back, Jose Antonio Camacho is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the Spanish royal club.
There’s not much need to say about Camacho; to understand the excellence of the player dubbed the “Iron Man,” it suffices to know that Roberto Carlos had to make way for him in this lineup. He spent 15 years playing professionally for Real Madrid, appearing in over 500 official matches for the club and helping win 19 major titles, including 9 La Liga championships. He then embarked on a prolonged coaching career, including two brief stints with his main club. Camacho earned over 80 caps for Spain, representing the country in two World Cups and numerous European Championships. He also managed the national team for four years, leading them to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
4. Fernando Hierro
Fernando Ruiz Hierro, born on March 23, 1968, is a retired Spanish footballer. He is primarily known for his distinguished career with Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, appearing in over 500 official matches and representing the national team nearly 90 times across four World Cups and two European Championships.
With Real Madrid, he won 5 La Liga titles and 3 Champions League trophies over nearly 15 years. In the world of football, there are some players who possess special qualities and character that are truly unique to them. A prime example of such a one-of-a-kind player is Fernando Hierro, the legendary defender famous for his goal-scoring prowess rivaling that of forwards.
5. Francisco Gento
Francisco “Paco” Gento López, born on October 22, 1933, in Guarnizo, Cantabria, is a former Spanish footballer. He began his La Liga career with Racing Santander in the 1952-53 season. The following year, he joined Real Madrid and became a legendary player for the club, wearing the number 11 jersey.
Nicknamed Galerna del Cantábrico (the Cantabrian Gale), Gento was a left winger known not only for his incredible speed (he could run 100 meters in just over 10 seconds and dribble with great speed) but also for his excellent ball control and goal-scoring ability for a player in his position. He captained a youthful Real Madrid team that dominated Spanish football in the 1960s, known in Spain as the Ye-yé era, named after the popularity of The Beatles during this time.
6. Zinedine Zidane
Zinédine Zidane, also known as Zizou, born on June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France, is a coach and former footballer of French-Algerian descent. Zidane led the French national team to win their first World Cup in 1998 and the Euro championship in 2000.
At the club level, he shone in the jerseys of Juventus and Real Madrid, helping both clubs win numerous titles in Europe and domestically. With his elegant style, tactical vision, and exquisite individual skills, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time by numerous fans and football experts. Alongside Ronaldo de Lima, Zidane holds the record for the most FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 3 wins in 1998, 2000, and 2003. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 1998. In 2001, Zidane moved to Real Madrid for a then-world-record transfer fee of €76 million.
7. Di Stefano
Alfredo di Stéfano, born on July 4, 1926, in Barracas, Buenos Aires, was a former footballer and coach of Spanish-Colombian descent from Argentina. He is closely associated with Real Madrid and was a prolific attacking partner with Ferenc Puskás during the club’s dominance of European championships in the 1950s, a period when Real Madrid won five consecutive European Cups from 1956.
Di Stéfano also played for three national teams: Argentina, Colombia, and Spain. He twice won the Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959. He is one of the greatest and most versatile players in football history. Di Stéfano, nicknamed Saeta rubia (the Blond Arrow), was inducted into the International Football Hall of Fame. He was a powerful forward with excellent physical attributes, tactical flexibility, and sharp instincts. He currently ranks as the third all-time top scorer in the history of La Liga with 228 goals in 329 matches, behind only Hugo Sánchez (234 goals) and Telmo Zarra (251 goals).
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, born on February 5, 1985, is a Portuguese footballer currently playing as a forward for Juventus in the Italian Serie A and is the captain of the Portuguese national football team.
Considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards and 4 European Golden Shoes, both records for a European player, along with numerous other prestigious accolades. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league championships, five UEFA Champions League titles, one UEFA European Championship, and one UEFA Nations League.
Ronaldo holds the record for the most international goals scored (109, tied with Ali Daei), most goals scored in UEFA Champions League (134), and most goals scored in European Championship. He is one of the few players to have surpassed 1,100 appearances and scored over 780 goals in his club and national team career. He is also the second player to score 100 international goals and the first European player to achieve this feat.
9. Ferenc Puskas
Ferenc Puskás Biró, born on April 2, 1927, also known as Puskás Ferenc or Purczeld Ferenc, was a Hungarian footballer and coach. With nicknames such as the “Galloping Major” or the “Golden Head,” he is the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time and one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Ranked 7th in World Soccer’s list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century, he scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for the Hungarian national football team, along with 4 appearances for the Spanish national football team (without scoring), and 511 goals in 533 matches in Hungarian and Spanish leagues. Despite lacking the necessary attributes of a typical striker such as height and aerial ability,…
10. Raúl Gonzalez
Raúl González Blanco, born on June 27, 1977, in Madrid, Spain, commonly known as Raúl, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a forward. Most of Raúl’s playing career was spent at the Spanish club Real Madrid until 2010 and is the club’s all-time leading goal scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo.
Raúl won the UEFA Champions League title three times. He left Real Madrid on July 25, 2010, with a record of 323 goals in 740 appearances. Raúl has a distinctive goal celebration. After every goal, he kisses his wedding ring, dedicating the goal to his wife, Mamen Sanz.
He enjoys reading books, especially those by Arturo Pérez Reverte, listening to Spanish music, hunting, and bullfighting. Whenever the name Raúl González is mentioned, people recall the image of a goal-scoring machine. In nearly 16 years of dedication wearing the Real Madrid shirt, Raúl contributed all the beauty of a player’s life to the club where he won 6 La Liga titles, 3 Champions League silver medals, and numerous other major and minor honors. To this day, he remains Real Madrid’s top goal scorer with 323 goals in 740 appearances.
Conclude
Above are the best real madrid players, surely those who know and are passionate about football cannot help but know the names above, right? So which players do you see as the most talented and what other names would you like to add to this list? Thank you for following our article!
