Ranking the 5 best players in La Liga history

#3 Alfredo Di Stefano

Di Stefano

Alfredo Di Stefano is the player that helped Real Madrid establish themselves as the ultimate powerhouse in world football. Following one of the most controversial transfer sagas in the history of the game, Barcelona let go of the opportunity to sign him. But it was a decision which would come back to haunt them.

Di Stefano went on to score 216 goals in 282 league matches for Real Madrid. He also scored in five consecutive European Cup finals for Los Blancos, a feat still unsurpassed. He is one of the most skilful, tactically versatile and technically astute strikers in the history of the game.

Di Stefano won the Ballon d'Or twice in 1957 and 1959. He won eight La Liga titles, five European Cups and one Intercontinental cup with Real Madrid.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Final

Had Cristiano Ronaldo stayed on at Real Madrid, he could have perhaps even topped the list. A serial winner and record breaker, Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest football players of all time.

We are blessed to have watched the timeless Ronaldo-Messi rivalry unfold in its full glory. Both players made each other better as they went neck-to-neck for all available records and trophies available while playing for arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Ronaldo has scored a total of 450 goals in 438 appearances for Real Madrid since joining from Manchester United in 2009 for a then record £80 million deal. Ronaldo won four Ballons d'Or at Real Madrid and finished as the runner-up on five occasions.

He won four Champions League titles, two La Liga titles and two Copa Del Reys with Real Madrid. But Ronaldo was far more influential than even that incredible trophy haul would have you believe.

His blistering pace and trickery helped Real Madrid play some of the best football their fans have ever witnessed. He transformed Los Blancos into one of the most dominant forces in the history of the Champions League.

Ronaldo's talent on the ball, ability to adapt, evolve and sustain his levels for almost a decade make him one of the greatest players in the history of the Spanish top-flight.

#1 Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona v Atletico de Madrid - La Liga Santander

The jury is out on who is the greatest footballer of all time. But Lionel Messi clearly wins the debate around who is the greatest player in La Liga history. A one-club legend, Messi has spent his entire career at Barcelona helping them stay at the very top with his wizardry on the football pitch.

Messi has it all. Speed, technical ability, vision, passing range and the mentality to keep improving. He is arguably the best dribbler in the history of the game. At the peak of his powers, he was a one-man army. Messi would tirelessly take defenders on, beat them and toy with goalkeepers with his incredible shooting range.

He has also become one of the finest free-kick takers in the history of the game. When it comes to sheer technical quality, it is nearly impossible to find someone who is as good as Lionel Messi. He has won a record six Ballons d'Or.

Messi has also won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League titles and seven Copa Del Reys. He also holds the record for the most number of La Liga hat-tricks with 36 to his name. Messi also holds the record for the most number of goals scored in a La Liga season with 50 in 37 appearances in the 2011-12 campaign.

At 33 years of age, he won the La Liga Golden Boot in the 2020-21 season with 30 goals to his name which was seven more than second-placed Karim Benzema. He is still the very best in the Spanish top-flight and he is so by quite some distance.