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With 34 La Liga titles and 13 UEFA Champions League titles, Real Madrid are comfortably one of the most decorated club in the history of the sport. The All Whites dominated the opening five seasons of the Champions League and recently recorded a three-peat under Zinedine Zidane. The latter feat further cemented their place in the history of European football.
Thanks to their unmatched trophy cabinet and deep pockets, Real Madrid have not had a shortage of world-class players. Many have tried to carve a place in the Real Madrid Hall of Fame, but very few have been worth writing home about.
Today, we will be taking a look at some legends who did no harm to their reputation during their spell with Real Madrid. Today, we will talk about
5 greatest players who donned the All White of Real Madrid
#5 Francisco Gento (1953-1971)
Dubbed as the “The Gale of the Cantabrian Sea,” Francisco “Paco” Gento personified everything that made Real Madrid the best team in the 50’s and 60’s. Gento joined Real Madrid in 1953 and retired in 1971, enjoying an illustrious 18-year-spell in the Spanish capital.
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Gento played as a left-winger or an outside-left at the time, and had a knack for creating as well as scoring. He had blistering pace, an eye for goal, and he always knew how to find his team-mates in a congested area. Gento’s dribbling was also a sight to behold and very few teams in the world could keep up with his movement and quick feet.
During his time with Real Madrid, Gento won a whopping 6 European Cups — a record that remains untouched to this day. He was also the only Real Madrid player to appear in joint-record 8 European Cup finals. Gento currently serves as the Honorary President of Real Madrid.
#4 Zinedine Zidane (2001-2006)
With the transfer of Luis Figo from Barcelona in 2000, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez kicked off the Galactico era at Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane, who was coming off an excellent spell with Juventus, was signed promptly in 2001. The Frenchman subsequently went on to create an unfathomable legacy at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Zidane is one of the most technically gifted players the world of football has ever seen. His cushiony first touches, signature “roulettes,” and precise shooting made him the perfect attacking midfielder, and no one has replicated his brilliance since. He was one of the first names on the team sheet during his playing career, and famously won Real Madrid their 9th UEFA Champions League title with an insane volley in 2002.
The Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Cup winner eventually took charge as coach of the main team, and guided them to three consecutive UEFA Champions League victories between 2016 and 2018, amongst other honors.
#3 Ferenc Puskas (1958-1967)
Eden Hazard has faced a lot of criticism for joining Real Madrid with a few extra pounds. So far, the Belgian has not managed to shake the critics off his back. Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas did the same back in 1958. Thankfully, he paid no mind to the doubters and went on to create an unmatched legacy at the capital club in Spain.
Puskas joined the club when he was 31 years old, and not many expected him to pair up with Di Stefano or make any impact in the Real Madrid hierarchy. Unflinched by the criticism, the Hungary international went to work and came out as one of the best forwards — nay, players — to ever play for Real Madrid.
He spent 9 years in the Spanish capital, scoring 242 goals in 262 matches for the All Whites. His goal scoring and creativity helped Real Madrid to 3 European Cups and 5 La Liga titles amongst a couple of other major trophies.
Currently, FIFA hands out the Puskas award — named after the Real Madrid legend — to the footballer judged to have scored the "most beautiful" goal in a calendar year.
#2 Alfredo Di Stefano (1953-1964)
No discussion of Real Madrid greats can be complete without paying an ode to the man who started it all: Don Alfredo Di Stefano. Famously known as “The Blonde Arrow,” Alfredo di Stefano was a goalscorer like no other. He was good with either foot, could score acrobatic goals, and was equally adept at creating chances for his team-mates.
Under the leadership of Di Stefano, Real Madrid established themselves as the greatest club in Europe, winning 5 Champions Leagues — or European Cup — titles on the spin between 1955 and 1960.
Di Stefano was also the man for big occasions, scoring at least one goal in every single European Cup he featured in for the club. His most famous performance for Real Madrid came in the European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960 when he scored a hat-trick en-route to Real’s iconic 7-3 win.
He ended his career with 5 European Cups, 8 La Liga titles and an Intercontinental Cup amongst others. Di Stefano also won two Ballons d’Or during his illustrious run with Real Madrid.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-2018)
Keeping Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Alfredo di Stefano is undoubtedly a controversial choice. However, considering the greatness of the Barcelona side Cristiano Ronaldo went up against, we could not help but make that call.
Cristiano Ronaldo became Real Madrid's most expensive signing in the summer of 2009, with Los Blancos reportedly agreeing a €94 million-deal with Manchester United for the transfer of the player. The record has been broken a couple of times by the club since then, but neither Gareth Bale nor Eden Hazard have been able to live up to the billing.
Ronaldo, who was a one-man-show at times, featured in 438 games for Los Merengues between 2009 and 2018, registering 451 goals and 132 assists. With 1.33 goals-involvement per match, Ronaldo is undoubtedly the most efficient forward to play for Real Madrid. His exploits led the club to 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 2 La Liga titles and 3 Club World Cups, amongst other honors. Cristiano Ronaldo also won 4 Ballons d’Or during his stay in the Spanish capital.
