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#3 Angel Di Maria
Taking the third spot on the podium is another former Madridista currently residing in Paris: Angel Di Maria.
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The Argentine was brought in from Benfica by then-Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho and became one of the top names in his four seasons at the club. Making 190 appearances for Los Blancos, Di Maria was involved in 121 goals (36 goals, 85 assists). The Argentine displayed tremendous ability with the ball at his feet, along with a silky touch and a keen eye for passes. He was a dynamic operator on the flanks and provided quality supply into the 18-yard box.
Di Maria has one Champions League trophy during his time at the club, along with a La Liga winners' medal, one Supercopa, and two Copa Del Reys before moving on to PSG in 2015.
#2 Guti
Next up, we have a modern Real Madrid great: Jose Maria Gutierrez. The Spaniard was criminally underrated during his 16-year spell at the club and was overshadowed by the likes of Zidane, Raul, Beckham, and Figo, to name a few.
Guti started his professional career with Los Blancos and worked his way up from the youth level to become a vital cog in Madrid's lineup. Mainly operating as a central midfielder, Guti has also played in the center forward role for Madrid due to a long injury list at the club. Guti had one of his best goalscoring seasons in the makeshift role, finding the back of the net 14 times to help the men in white lift their 28th La Liga trophy in the 2000/01 season.
A lifelong Madrid fan, the Spaniard won 14 trophies in his stint with the club and was renowned for his exceptional vision and mouth-watering skills. Guti notched up a mammoth 542 appearances for the club, and was involved in 167 goals (77 goals, 90 assists)
#1 Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema's role at Real Madrid over the years cannot be overstated enough, and the Frenchman has been as crucial as Ronaldo in earning Los Blancos' four Champions League titles in five years.
With the departure of Ronaldo, Hazard was brought in by Madrid to replace the world-beater but failed to make a mark at the club. Los Blancos were desperate for someone to step up, and Benzema took over the mantle, scoring 52 goals from 84 appearances at an exceptional xG (expected goals) of over 16 since Ronaldo's departure. The Frenchman has been exceptional with the ball at his feet as well, linking up play between the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Asensio, with 17 assists and an xA (expected assists) of 3.99. The 33-year old has been involved in a mammoth tally of 415 goals (274 goals, 141 assists) in 549 appearances for Los Blancos.
With the departure of Ronaldo, Benzema was freed from the shackles of matching up to the ridiculous achievements of his teammate and is finally getting his due recognition from football fans. The "Benz" has maintained his scintillating form over the years and we're just beginning to take notice.
