10 greatest Real Madrid goalscorers of all time

Real Madrid are one of the greatest if not the greatest club football side of all time and they have had some amazing players play for them in their illustrious history. Some supreme goalscorers have played for the all-whites, and these players have made names for themselves as premier finishers.

All the names on this list are Real Madrid legends and have scored a bucketload of goals for Los Blancos. Without much ado let us look at the 10 greatest goalscorers in the history of Real Madrid.

#10 Karim Benzema

One of the most underrated strikers in the world, Karim Benzema makes the number 10 position in the Real Madrid all-time goal-scorers list. The Frenchman does not often get the credit he deserves, but he has been a vital part of the Real Madrid side in the last 5 years.

Blessed with excellent movement, combination play and decent finishing skills, Benzema often gets the best out of his team-mates with intelligent runs and silky touches. Also, Benzema himself has a good record when it comes to scoring, having scored a very impressive 162 goals in 322 appearances.

Still only 28, the Frenchman has at least another 2 seasons at the very top and can well move higher up this list by the time his Real Madrid career is done.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Karim Benzema	2009-Present	322	162	0.5

#9 Emilio Butragueno

One of the most complete strikers to ever play the game, Emilio Butragueno was capable of changing a game in an instant with his brilliant goals. The Spanish forward always seemed to be at the right place at the right time and always found the back of the net when it mattered the most.

The Real Madrid legend made a combined 463 appearances in all competitions scoring 171 goals and winning numerous trophies with Los Blancos. After his retirement from football, Butragueno even served as Real Madrid’s director.

The Real Madrid legend currently serves as the head of Public relations for Los Blancos and is still involved heavily in the operations of his childhood club.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Emilio Butragueno	1983-1995	463	171	0.37

#8 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.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Jose Pirri	1964-1979	561	172	0.31

#7 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.

Having made an incredible 601 appearances for the All Whites, Gento scored a very impressive 182 goals. Although he was more famous for his assists, the legendary winger still made this goalscoring list which shows how important he was for the team.

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.

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 Gento is one of the greatest Real Madrid players of all time.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Francisco Gento	1952-1970	601	182	0.3

#6 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 Emilo 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.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Hugo Sanchez	1985-1992	282	208	0.74

#5 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 goal scoring prowess can be seen from the fact that he scored an astonishing 616 goals in 620 appearances for his club sides out of which he scored 242 goals for Real Madrid.

Puskas’ goalscoring ratio is an incredible 0.92 and is the second-best goalscoring ratio on this list.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Ferenc Puskas	1958-1966	262	242	0.92

#4 Carlos Santillana

Probably the least known player on this list, Carlos Santillana is a Real Madrid legend in his own right. The striker spent an amazing 17 seasons at Real Madrid where he made 645 appearances and scored an incredible 290 goals.

Santillana was known for his stellar heading ability and was a firm fan favourite at the Bernabeu thanks to his never say die attitude and incredible finishing skills. One of the greatest Spanish strikers in history, Santillana had an incredible 9 La Liga triumphs in 17 seasons and is one of the most decorated and successful players in Real Madrid’s history.

Even to this day, Santillana’s unbelievable headers are still talked about fondly by the Bernabeu faithful

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Carlos Santillana	1971-1988	645	290	0.45

#3 Alfredo Di Stefano

Undoubtedly the player who redefined Real Madrid’s legacy as one of the greatest club teams in the world, Di Stefano along with Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly among the best Real Madrid players 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 308 goals in 396 appearances for Real Madrid and won an amazing amount of trophies. Di Stefano is also the only player to score in 5 European Cup finals.

8 La Liga titles, 5 European Cups, 1 Copa Del Rey and 1 Intercontinental cup won during Di Stefano’s time show what a huge impact the Argentine had.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Alfredo Di Stefano	1953-1964	396	308	0.78

#2 Raul

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 made 741 appearances scoring 323 goals.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Raul	1994-2010	741	323	0.44

#1 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 351 appearances, Ronaldo has scored an astonishing 366 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, 1 FIFA Club World Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. 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.

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
Cristiano Ronaldo	2009-Present	351	366	1.04