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La Liga is one of the most respected and popular footballing leagues on the planet. Since its inception in 1929, several world-class footballers have come to La Liga hoping to create a legacy for themselves.
Today, we will be taking a look at some non-Spanish footballers who have left an ever-lasting impression in La Liga. Here are the five foreign players with the most goals in La Liga history:
Special note: Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano scored 227 goals in La Liga, but played 30 matches for the Spanish national team. Since he had dual citizenship (Spain, Argentina) and played for both, we have kept him off this list.
#5 Luis Suarez - 172 goals
Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has played the least number on our list of La Liga greats. Yet, thanks to his take-no-prisoners attitude in front of goal, he has found a way to be a part of the exclusive group.
In only 239 La Liga games, Suarez has registered 172 goals and 83 assists for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, winning the Golden Boot in 2015-16.
Suarez became a part of La Liga in 2014 when Barcelona lured him away from Anfield for €81.7 million. Suarez wasted no time and got to work right away. Despite missing the opening few matches due to a disciplinary sanction, Suarez finished the campaign with 16 goals and 22 assists. His performances that season helped Barcelona to their second treble in history.
Suarez’s finest performance in La Liga came in 2015-16 when he scored 40 goals and had 36 assists in 35 matches.
#4 Karim Benzema - 205 goals
Real Madrid are arguably one of the most ruthless clubs in the world. They are always after the hottest talents and are notoriously infamous for not affording anyone a second chance.
In that regard, Karim Benzema has been a glaring anomaly for Los Blancos over the last decade. Despite failing to match expectations quite a few times, Real Madrid didn’t throw him under the bus, and now, the Frenchman is returning the favor.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2018, Karim Benzema has been Real Madrid’s best player in La Liga and the Champions League. He has been scoring, contributing to Real Madrid’s build-up play, and has been the perfect role model for youngsters.
Since joining Los Blancos in 2009, Benzema has featured in 399 La Liga games. The four-time Champions League winner has registered 205 goals and 111 assists for Real Madrid so far.
Benzema has scored 13 goals in La Liga this season and is currently leading the Pichichi race.
#3 Hugo Sanchez - 234 goals
Hugo Sanchez dominated La Liga between 1981 and 1984. The Mexican played for Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and later Rayo Vallecano, scoring a total of 234 goals in 347 appearances.
The centre-forward was lightning quick, had an acute sense of positioning and had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Having caught everyone’s attention at Atletico, Sanchez’s best spell came on the other side of town, at Real Madrid.
Between 1985 and 1990, Sanchez won five La Liga titles with Los Blancos, each time emerging as their leading goalscorer. He was also chosen as the best foreign player in 1987 and 1990.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - 311 goals
In 2009, Real Madrid broke the bank to bring Manchester United’s Ballon d’Or winner to the Santiago Bernabeu. Finalizing a record-breaking €94million transfer, Cristiano Ronaldo joined the La Liga club and helped them to new heights with his goals and assists.
Over the course of his Real Madrid spell, Ronaldo scored 311 La Liga goals and provided 96 assists.
Ronaldo started out as a left-winger at Real Madrid but eventually became an all-powerful goalscoring machine. He could score with either foot, head the ball better than most, and had ice in his veins when shooting from the spot.
Ronaldo led Real Madrid to two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues in nine years, amongst other honors. For his exploits in Real Madrid’s colors, Ronaldo won four Ballons d’Or between 2009 and 2018. The Portuguese superstar also won the La Liga Golden Boot (the Pichichi Trophy) three times at Real Madrid.
#1 Lionel Messi - 474 goals
The top goalscorer in Barcelona’s history, Lionel Messi, sits pretty at the top of our list, winning the race by a landslide. The Argentine international is not only the top foreign goalscorer in La Liga, but is also the overall leader.
Between 2004-05 and 2020-21, Messi played 520 La Liga games for Barcelona, registering 474 goals and 214 assists.
On the pitch Messi was nothing short of a sensation for Barcelona. More often than not he was La Liga’s Pichichi winner as well as the leading-assist provider. He scored from unbelievable angles, could break the opponents’ ankles with his feints, and had the quality to pick out his teammates at his will.
Messi’s most productive La Liga season came in 2011-12 when he scored a whopping 50 goals and provided 34 assists in 37 league matches. In total, Messi won the La Liga Golden Boot a whopping eight times before joining Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
