Top 10 greatest Real Madrid midfielders of all time

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The Santiago Bernabeu is a footballer's ultimate dream

What is Real Madrid? Simple. The greatest football club in the world. Financially and historically, the Spanish club has been unmatched for years.

Walking out onto the turf of Santiago Bernabeu in the famous white shirt is meant only for a few among a pool of many players. The lure of the Los Merengues is too hard to reject or turn down. A club that guarantees glory and fame to the zenith of the football world.

The word Real means royal in Spanish, and the Los Blancos have a charisma that matches their name. Extremely rich with a glittering history, Real Madrid rightly sit on the throne of the greatest clubs in the world. Make no mistake, the crown in their logo signifies their absolute power and domination around the football globe.

Their glorious past is all down to the giants that have donned the white shirt at the Bernabeu. It is a long-lasting catalogue of legends that define the reason why Real have a decorated trophy cabinet. Real Madrid is always a team constructed with the names of the greatest players of the era. They are as terrifying on the pitch as they are frightening on paper.

Many great players have plied their trade at the Bernabeu. We rank the top ten midfielders who turned out for the Los Blancos, achieving insane fame and becoming immortals of the game.

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#10: Michael Laudrup

Laudrup is the only player to be on either side of a 5-0 El Clasico victory

Denmark's midfield master Michael Laudrup incurred the wrath of Barcelona fans, after putting pen to paper on a Real Madrid contract worth £8.64 million. His fall-out with legendary Dutchman Johan Cruyff over tactics proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Whites.

Real Madrid were going through a torrid spell and his arrival was just the required tonic they needed to get back on the top. Laudrup's advent to the Bernabeu also helped striker Ivan Zamorano hit his peak, after a misfiring season for the Los Blancos. Real's legendary striker also quoted in an interview that Laudrup was the best player he had ever played with.

Interestingly, Laudrup also remains the only player in history to be on either side of a 5-0 El Clasico victory. A player gifted with vision, the Dane was known for his silky feints and accurate passing abilities. Laudrup was greatly responsible for Real Madrid's revival from a dark period.

Albeit he played only two seasons for Real, from 1994 to 1996, Laudrup proved to be a highly influential midfielder and an immense fan-favourite at the Bernabeu.

He scored 15 goals in only 76 appearances, winning a league title in his debut season with the club. Despite his scarce contributions, Laudrup was voted as the 12th best player in Madrid's history, according to an internet survey by Spanish daily Marca.

#9: Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso was a versatile midfielder for Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso shook hands with Florentino Perez in August of 2009, signing for a £30 million fee. Arriving in the same transfer window as heavyweights Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Kaka, Alonso was expected to shore up Real's mediocre midfield with his versatility as a creative as well as a defensive midfielder.

A player gifted with technique and vision, Alonso was a crucial player for the Los Blancos in his six-year stint with the club.

The former Liverpool legend was known for pulling strings in midfield, with his devastating and pin-point long balls that helped the attackers break defences quickly and easily. Being a sturdy presence, the Spaniard was always the initiator of Madrid's attacks.

Alonso's vitality was well underlined by Jurgen Klopp in Madrid's famous 4-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park in 2013. Against a team that comprised of speed demons like Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria, Klopp thought it better to mark Alonso in the midfield.

As a result, the Spaniard failed to feed the ball to attackers with two players man-marking him continuously. That led Dortmund to their famous routing of the Los Merengues.

In short, Klopp literally insulated Madrid's supply with a simple yet effective technique. That just tells us how crucial his role in the team was.

Alonso played six seasons for Real Madrid, netting 6 goals in 236 appearances for the Los Merengues. In his tenure, he won 5 trophies and was a pivotal player in Real Madrid's dream to achieve the long-sought La Decima.

#8: Fernando Redondo

Fernando Redondo playing in the famous white shirt

Argentine midfielder Fernando Redondo is another prominent midfielder to feature on this list. Redondo signed for Real Madrid for a bargain £3.5 million fee in 1994. While Madrid were beginning their redemption to the pinnacle with Micahel Laudrup's arrival, the former Tenerife midfielder proved to be a worthy partner for the Dane.

Like Xabi Alonso, Fernando Redondo was a versatile player capable of contributing in both offence and defence. During his playing time in the Spanish capital, Redondo earned the sobriquet of 'El Principe', meaning 'The Prince'.

A crucial part of Real Madrid in the 1990s, Redondo won 5 trophies in six seasons with the club, which included two Champions League titles. The Argentine midfield enforcer netted five times in 225 appearances for the Los Merengues.

#7: Clarence Seedorf

Clarence Seedorf is the only player to win Champions League with three different clubs

Clarence Seedorf joined Real Madrid in a £7.74 million deal in 1996. The swarthy Dutchman was an absolute tank in his playing days, with strength being his primary weapon against opponents.

Seedorf was also blessed in terms of pace, good vision and an incredible stamina. Deployed as a playmaker in the centre, Seedorf's versatility enabled him to play as a box-to-box midfielder and also as a winger. His long-distance goals were a treat to watch.

Apart from being a pivotal player for Madrid in the 90s, Seedorf is also the most decorated Champions League player in the history of the game. He remains the only player to win the competition with three different clubs. The Dutchman won it for the Los Blancos in the 1997-98 season.

Seedorf scored 20 goals in 159 appearances for the club, winning 5 trophies in a three-year spell.

#6: Luka Modric

Croatian warlock Luka Modric has been a pivotal player for Madrid since 2012

Croatian warlock Luka Modric has established himself as one of the top three midfielders in the world, after joining for £30 million from Tottenham in 2012. Upon his arrival, Modric was prophecied to be another flop who would warm the benches at the Bernabeu.

However, the little midfielder has been kind enough to prove his haters wrong, establishing himself as a pivotal player in the Real Madrid line-up.

Usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker, Modric is blessed with a superb vision which allows him excellent distribution of the ball to his teammates. His defence-splitting passes have harmed almost every bastion that he has faced in his career.

Modric is one of the only players to have created history by retaining the Champions League title at the Bernabeu. The midfielder has been flourishing under the appointment of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane since 2015.

In his five years as a Los Blancos midfielder, Modric has already amassed 12 titles and has won the UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder in 2017. To date, Modric has scored 11 goals as a central midfielder in 213 appearances for the club.

The Croatian has shown no signs of stalling his career, as Real Madrid are already gunning for a record third Champions League title in a row.

#5: Toni Kroos

Kroos has formed a devastating partnership with Modric in the midfield for Real Madrid

Luka Modric's partner-in-crime in Madrid's colossal midfield, German playmaker Toni Kroos is another great midfielder who has plied his trade for the Los Merengues. Looking at his brilliant passing and assisting abilities, Kroos is the best bargain football has ever seen, joining for only €30 million in 2014 from German outfit Bayern Munich.

On his day, the midfield general is alone capable of making more passes compared to the whole opponent team combined. He did prove that fact when Bayern Munich faced Arsenal at the Allianz in Champions League.

The dynamic midfielder is a versatile player, who loves wreaking havoc in opposing defences with his pinpoint passing, corners and long shots. Kroos has been in stupendous form since joining the Spanish giants, playing as a box-to-box midfielder and scoring 7 goals in 147 appearances in his three years at the club.

Already on the pedestal of greatness at a young age, Kroos has already won 8 trophies and is currently playing his fourth season for Real Madrid. HIs trophy cabinet contains two UEFA Champions League titles with Real, making him the first ever German player to win the honour with two different clubs.

#4: Raymond Kopa

Raymond Kopa was known as the Napolean of football in his playing days

Widely known as the Napolean of Football, Raymond Kopa was the first ever French legend to grace the beautiful game. He earned his comparisons with the great French monarch owing to his short stature and dynamic displays on the field. Kopa became the first footballer to receive the Legion d'honneur, the highest civilian honour awarded by France.

The French midfielder was mainly known for his insane dribbling skills on the pitch that allowed him to amass a plethora of goals and assists. Along with Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento, the midfielder was one of the pioneers of Real Madrid's glorious history.

Raymond Kopa played for Los Merengues between 1956 and 1959, winning three European Cups in succession. He amassed 6 trophies in over three seasons, scoring 30 goals in 101 appearances for the club. Kopa recently passed away in March 2017.

#3: Ignacio Zoco

Ignacio Zoco was the shining ray of hope for Real Madrid after Puskas and Di Stefano retired

Garde-born midfielder Ignacio Zoco was a player who joined the Whites in 1962 for a twelve-year tenure at the club.

When legends Puskas and Di Stefano retired, Zoco was the shining beacon of hope for a young Real Madrid team that dominated the league in 60's. A tall and sturdy Spaniard, Zoco was a blessed in aerial tackles and a chivalrous player for the Los Merengues.

He captained a young side that consisted of Jose Pirri and Vicente Del Bosque and also played alongside Amancio Amaro, the mercurial Real Madrid winger.

Zoco made 438 appearances for Real Madrid, hitting the back of the net 16 times in the process.

#2: Jose Pirri

Pirri(white) played sixteen seasons with Real Madrid

Jose Pirri is commonly known as a midfielder, but the Spaniard was capable of putting up of equally scintillating displays in attack and defence as well. Being a part of the 'Ye-Ye' squad, Pirri achieved a legendary status in his 14-year tenure at the club.

Pirri is often described as the 'lungs' of the young team that would go on to create history in the future. The legend is also revered for his unforgettable performance in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, playing with a broken jaw. Although Madrid lost 2-1 to Chelsea, Pirri's heroics have already booked a place in the folklore of the club.

The Spaniard made 571 appearances in the white shirt and ranks eighth in Madrid's all-time appearances list. The midfielder scored 172 goals in his sixteen-year tenure from 1964 to 1980. He won a total of 15 trophies with the Los Blancos.

#1: Zinedine Zidane

Zidane is one of the only seven players to win Champions League as a player and a manager

There's a shortage of superlatives when you try to describe grandmaster Zinedine Zidane and his invaluable contributions to Real Madrid. Thre Frenchman was snapped up for a record €75 million in 2001, making him the most expensive player in the world at that time.

Since then, the Los Blancos must have been extremely thankful to Florentino Perez for signing the man who serves them to this day, as a mastermind tactician.

It was as if the Frenchman was born to produce magic every time he touched the ball. His sorcery on the pitch was second to none. Gifted with a world-class first touch and ball control, Zidane has remained at the helm of the game for decades.

He had the uncanny ability to drag a game by the scruff of the neck, as he did against Brazil in the World Cup 2006.

Zidane's famous Champions League final goal versus Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 has already gone down in Madrid's folklore. The Frenchman has been a tireless servant to the club, first as a player and now as a manager.

Zidane scored 49 goals in 225 appearances over five seasons, eventually retiring at the Bernabeu. He won 6 trophies during his playing days, and has continued to win silverware, as a manager since 2015.

On a personal level, he has won the 'FIFA World Player of the Year' award along with countless other accolades. Take a bow!