They may be trailing Barcelona in the La Liga 2023 title race, but Real Madrid have been, and will always be, the Galacticos – the superstars of European and world football.
Despite coming second in their domestic battle many of Carlo Ancelotti’s current crop of stars are among the best on the planet. Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior are all world-class, and Modric in particular can lay claim to being one of Los Blancos’ best players of all time.
But who are the five that Real Madrid fans would choose to be the kings of the Santiago Bernabeu? And how can anyone narrow this question down to a mere five?
Well, this SBOTOP writer has had a stab at the best Blancos of all time…how many do you agree with?
5. Ferenc Puskas 1958-1966
When Hungarian forward ‘Pancho Puskas’ rocked up in Madrid, aged 31, he had already scored a whopping 358 goals in 350 games for Budapest Honved and he was the main man in his national football team, the Magnificent Magyars. Puskas was a World Cup runner-up in 1954, but in Madrid his reputation grew further as he evolved from being an out and out goal scorer to becoming the best provider in the game. With his silky skills and genius on the ball, Puskas is one of the best free-kick specialists Los Blancos fans have ever seen and he still notched 242 goals from 262 appearances in Spain.
With the best left foot ever to grace the Bernabeu he helped Real Madrid to five league titles and three European crowns and the FIFA Goal of the Year is now named after Puskas.
4. Raul 1994-2010
Nicknamed El Ferrari by his team-mate Fernando Hierro (another Los Blancos legend), Raul spent 16 years playing for his beloved Real Madrid. He has the most appearances for the club with 741 and is the third top goal scorer of all time with 323. With Los Blancos he won six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues, scoring in two finals, and he holds the distinction of never being sent off in 17 years of football in Spain.
Raul was a brilliantly versatile player, able to operate as a lone striker, a number 10 or even a winger. His speed of foot and thought, great ball control and eye for the spectacular made him a firm fans favourite. And now he’d be a popular choice to replace Carlo Ancelotti should the current Real boss head off to Brazil.
3. Alfredo Di Stefano 1953-1964
With 216 goals from 282 games Alfredo Di Stefano was a key player in the club’s domination during the 1950s and 1960s and, alongside Puskas he terrorized defences around Europe. He played in five European Cup victories, scoring in each of the five finals and that feat makes Di Stefano a Madrid legend.
At a time when defenders could be brutal and strikers received little or no protection from referees, Di Stefano was strong, quick and skilful and he never shirked a challenge. And he had a penchant for Hollywood-style goals, volleys and overhead kicks.
2. Sergio Ramos 2005-2021
Ramos is now one of the big names in Ligue 1, plying his trade with Paris Saint-Germain but his move from Sevilla to Madrid in 2005 introduced the best centre-back the Bernabeu had ever seen. He’s a born leader and desperate to win at all costs and it’s little surprise that Ramos is the most carded player in Spanish history. On the plus side, he won five La Liga and four Champions League winners medals and, as a defender he was a prolific scorer, netting in every one of his 16 seasons at the club and scoring 101 for Los Blancos in total.
As a defender, he had everything; pace, strength, aggression and vision. His organisational skills were second to none and the players he led would run through a wall for Ramos.
He was a rock star of a footballer at the Bernabeu with a legion of fans who matched his passion for the club.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo 2009-2018
So here we are – my pick for the best Blanco of all time, the great Cristiano Ronaldo…CR7. He has won 32 trophies in a stellar career including seven league titles and five Champions Leagues and is one of a handful of players to make over 1,100 appearances for club and country, scoring over 800 goals.
With 311 in 292 games, Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s top scorer of all time and he was the first player to score against every team in a single La Liga campaign.
Los Blancos’La Liga 2023 results have simply not been good enough to keep pace with the Blaugrana and the latest La Liga 2023 betting odds now price Ancelotti’s team at around 1.05 to win the 2023 title.
But that wouldn’t be the case if these five were playing at the Santiago Bernabeu…particularly CR7!
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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