Best Real Madrid XI of All Time
With 33 La Liga titles and 13 Champions League titles, the Blancos have definitely had some wonderful players. Read on to find out about the best Real Madrid XI of all time.
When most people want to think of a great soccer club, they think of
Real Madrid. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the world. Not only do they hold the bright record of winning the most domestic league trophies won (34) among Spanish clubs, but also they have won European Cups more than any other club (13).
Including 3 consecutive UEFA Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018, which is an exclusive record. In addition to the La Liga titles, they have won 19 Copa Del Reys (The cup of the King), 11 Spanish Super Cups and many other national and international trophies.
Furthermore, the unique title of the best club of the 20
th
century was given to them. Throughout the years, the players have played an undeniable role in achieving all those trophies.
The followings are the best Real Madrid XI of all time:
So many extraordinary players have played for this club, making it easy to assemble 3 or 4 teams with the title of Real Madrid's greatest XI of all time, but wouldn't it be the toughest task to put together only 11 players of all those brilliant athletes and name them the best Real Madrid XI of all time? Let's discover.
Iker Casillas–Goal Keeper
Among the
best Real Madrid XI of all time
is Iker Casillas who is considered to be one of the best goal keepers of all time. The legendary 'Saint Iker' is without a doubt the best goalkeeper in Real Madrid's history and directly enters the Real Madrid's greatest all-time XI.
He joined the club when he was 9 and it was to be only 9 other years until he made his debut at the age of 18 at the San Mames stadium in 1999 as a teenager with a promising future. He went on to play another 724 matches for the club through 16 seasons - which is the clubs' second all-time highest number of appearances, through which he has kept a total of 264 clean sheets.
His stunning saves will never be forgotten by the fans, neither will be the moments he lifted the trophies as the captain of the team. He has won 19 trophies as Real Madrid player including 3 Champions leagues in addition to winning the FIFA World Cup in 2010 as the captain of the Spanish national team, as well as two European Cups in 2008 and 2012.
He has been named the best goal keeper of the year 5 times by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics), as well as being the goal keeper of the FIFPro world XI on 5 occasions and winning the golden glove of the 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa.
His outstanding save in the final match of 2010 World Cup against Arjen Robben was definitely the key to
Spain's becoming the champion of the world, and his startling reflexes in the final of La Novena against
Bayer Leverkusenwhich led the Whites to their 9
th
European trophy.
Roberto Carlos–Defender, Left-Back
The left-back position of the Real Madrid’s best 11 of all time goes to the "great" Roberto Carlos who is indubitably the most incursive left-back through the soccer's history.
He has scored 68 goals and has provided 88 assists through 11 seasons and 527 appearances for the club. He will always be remembered for having one of the strongest legs among soccer players (his shots might reach a speed of 140km/h), as well as his prodigious pace, his ability to score long-shot goals and his crossing expertise.
He holds the record for most number of games by a foreigner for Los Blancos. Moreover, he has won a total of 13 trophies with Real Madrid and is regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time
Sergio Ramos–Centre-Back
The current captain of the Whites joined the club in 2005 from
Sevillaand never looked back. He is not only great at defensive tasks, but also he has been a huge help to the attackers of the club for the last couple of years.
Not many people can forget his 93th-minute goal against
Atletico Madridin Lisbon in the final match of UCL in 2014 which led the club to their 10th ever European championship. The "captain" is renowned for his ability in attacking and most exclusively, his aerial strength, as he recently has become the 3rd player in history who has scored in La Liga for 17 consecutive seasons.
has played in 16 seasons for real Madrid in
La Liga. He has played 665 games for Real Madrid and has scored 100 goals which make him one of the finest goal-scoring defenders of all time.
He has also scored 23 goals for Spanish national team, meaning he is the best scoring-defender of international history. Putting him in the best Real Madrid XI of all time would be one of the easiest decisions someone can make.
Fernando Hierro–Centre-Back
Going on with our line-up of
Real Madrid's greatest all-time XI
, we need another center-back. Fernando Hierro with a total of 601 matches and the amazing number of 127 goals for the club who began his career as a midfielder and ended up being one of the greatest defenders in the history of the sport, would be an excellent choice.
He played for Real Madrid from 1989 to 2003 and played a crucial role in winning the titles during this 14 years. Such as 3 European cups and 2 intercontinental cups.
Known as a versatile player , his astonishing ability in positioning and anticipating the opponent's actions paved the way for him to be a legend in the club's history, and to be among the Real Madrid's best ever XI.
Michel Salgado–Right-Back
The fates of Michel Salgado, the right-back of the
all-time greatest XI of Real Madrid
, and the club crossed in 1999.For the following 10 years, his role in each and every title conquered by the club was undeniable. Including 2 UEFA Champions league titles, 4 La Liga trophies and 3 Spanish super cups.
He was known for his offensive style of play and his capability of tackling aggressively. All of his coaches had faith in him and the fact that most of the time he was in the starting line-up proves this point.
The hard-working player was rewarded by the fans with their love toward him and the endeavor he showed. He has played 371 games for the Los Blancos. He has also won the U-21 European cup with Spanish national team. He wasn't lucky enough to be a part of the team which won the FIFA world cup in 2010.
Zinedine Zidane–Midfielder and attacker
Among the best Real Madrid XI of all time is Zinedine Zidane also known as ‘Zizou’. The French man is one of the best players in the history of soccer. The current manager of the Whites is so beloved and cherished by the fans that any
Real Madrid best XI of all time
without him would be meaningless.
A genius with indescribable elegance on the field. He was endowed with natural gift of doing magic with the ball. Zidane has achieved every single title that can be achieved, both with France national team and Real Madrid. He led France to two FIFA world cup finals; 1998 and 2006, one of which (98) was won by them with Zidane scoring 2 goals in the final match.
He has also guided the 'Les Blues' to win the 2000 European championship in which he was named the layer of the Tournament.
Back to
Real Madrid's greatest XI of all time
, he joined the club in 2001, won the European cup with Real Madrid only one year later with scoring a magnificent left-foot volley goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the final match which is considered as one the best goals of the tournament ever.
Los Blancos was his last ever club, with him retiring after 2006 world cup, where despite losing the final match against Italy and being sent off for hitting Marco Materazzi in the chest with his head, he won the Golden Ball of the tournament.
He has won 6 titles with Real Madrid as well as displaying astonishing performances, great dribbling skill, vision, and ball control. In addition to winning awards with his teams, he has won many individual trophies including winning the FIFA World player of The Year award 3 times.
Moreover, he is one of the few players who has won the FIFA world cup, UEFA Champions league and Ballon d'Or. He has played in 227 games and has scored 49 goals for the Whites.
As the manager of the club he has done something no other person has ever managed to do; winning the UCL for 3 consecutive times, making him not only one of the great players of the history, but also one of the greatest managers in the history.
Alfredo Di Stefano–Midfielder and attacker
It is no easy thing to sum up what he has done to the club, and to the world of soccer. The Argentinian legend who played for Real Madrid for 11 years from 1953 to 1964, with 396 official appearances and 308 goals is regarded as one of the best players of all time.
He was the person who turned the Whites into the world's most important club. Considering the fact that what Real Madrid is today, refers back to the impacts he had on the club in his years, putting him in the squad of Real Madrid's greatest all-time XI would be the least thing we can do to honor his memory and achievements.
As the current president of Los Blancos once said, “Di Stefano is Real Madrid. He changed the destiny of this institution.” With him, Real Madrid reached the pinnacle of their glory. The record of winning 5 consecutive European cups (not UCL which initiated years later) is still unbroken where he scored at least one goal in all of the final matches.
He was a great leader both on and off the pitch. In addition to winning the Ballon d'Or twice while he was playing, he is the only player in the history of the sport who has ever been awarded the 'Super Ballon d'Or in 1989, years after retiring.
Achieving 18 trophies with the club and the numerous goals he has scored, has made him an idol for the fans. In spite of dominating domestic and international cups with Real Madrid, his international career never was as bright.
He took Spanish nationality and has played 31 games for Spain national team, but they never reached the final stages of any tournaments. Sadly he passed away in 2014 and left his the sorrow of his absence in the heart of millions of lovers.
Francisco Gento–Midfielder and attacker
Known as the 'Storm of the Cantabrian' Francisco Gento holds the record of being the only player who has won 6 European cups. He was a member of one of the best teams in the history of Real Madrid alongside legendary players such as Di Stefano, Puskas etc.
His remarkable skills in crossing and dribbling, as well as his stunning pace leaves us no choice but to put him in the
Real Madrid's best ever XI
unquestionably. He has played in 18 seasons (more than 600 matches) for the club and has won 12 Spanish La Liga titles in addition to 6 European cups.
Cristiano Ronaldo–Midfielder and attacker
Who deserves to be on the list of the
best Real Madrid XI of all time
more than the club's all-time leading goal scorer? Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro has scored 451 goals in only 438 appearances for the Whites! That's an average of more than one goal per match for the Portuguese legend.
He has rewritten the history during his 9 years at the club and has broken many impressive records; the most number of goals to have been scored by a Real Madrid player in one season (61), scoring 105 goals for the club in UCL (He is also the all-time leading goal scorer of the tournament with more than 130 goals), highest number of games in which a player has scored three or more goals in the history of La Liga, the most number of goals scored in a single season of UCL (17), highest number of assists in UCL etc.
Ronaldo was undoubtedly the most crucial part of the team which managed to win 3 UCL titles in-a-row by scoring many decisive goals. He was labelled by the president Florentino Perez as "the heir to Alfredo Di Stefano". The same as Don Alfredo, he is one of the most outstanding parts of the club legacy.
He has been named the BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR 5 times, only once fewer than Lionel Messi, his forever rival. He has also won 4 European golden shoes, both of which are regarded records for a European player (Lionel Messi, who is Argentinian, leads the race in those two records).
He is one of the few players who has reached a total of more than 1000 appearances and has scored more than 750 career goals. He is to break the record of highest number of international goals. He has won 5 UEFA Champions league trophies in total, 4 of which has been with the Whites.
Furthermore, he has achieved 2 La Liga titles, 2 Copa Del Reys and 3 Club World Cups alongside some other trophies. Neither will his name be forgotten by Madrid's fans, nor will be by the entire soccer community.
Raul Gonzalez–Midfielder and attacker
A natural for the whites, having he record of playing the highest number of games for the club (741), the second all-time finest goal scorer of the club with 323 goals, will always be the eternal captain of Los Blancos and a role-model for every young kid on the streets of Madrid, and has a fixed position in each and every
Real Madrid best 11 of all time
.
He would put as much effort as possible on the pitch, having an insatiable appetite to score. He has helped the club secure 3 European cups, scoring in 2 of the final matches in 2000 and 2002.
He is one of the few players to have reached 100 international caps with Spain national team. The 'golden Boy' of Spain finally left the club in 2010, after 18 wonderful years of memories.
Ferenc Puskas–Midfielder and attacker
Scoring 242 goals in 262 for Real Madrid is not something to pass by easily. That’s why he is among the
best Real Madrid XI of all time
. Puskas is said to have been endowed with the best left foot ever to be witnessed in Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
He joined the Whites when he was 31, but age was not a barrier to stop him from becoming one of the legends of Real Madrid. The fans were shocked and taken aback when this old man entered the club, but it was to be not a long time until they realized they had been mistaken.
His one-of-a-kind ability in scoring was a great contribution to winning 3 European and 5 La Liga titles. He is the winner of Olympics gold medal in 1952 with Hungarian national team. Ferenc Puskas holds the unbroken record of scoring 4 goals in a European final match against Frankfurt in 1960.
Besides being the oldest player ever to have played for Real Madrid, he is the team's oldest goal scorer, as he scored his last goal at the age of 38 years and 233 days. In the year 2009, FIFA named the award of the 'best goal of the year' after him as an attribute to his achievements.
Selecting only eleven players of all of the legends who have played for this prestigious club is a very difficult task to accomplish with a jaw-dropping collection of trophies over the years. However, the best Real Madrid XI of all time is already revealed, there were some great players who were on the point of getting in the squad.
There were other legendary players like Ronaldo Nazario, Gutti, Marcelo, Claude Makelele, Lula Modric, Toni Kroos, David Beckham, Fabio Cannavaro, Luis Figo. Nothing is certain except that Real Madrid will go on conquering titles with amazing players who make the day for their fans!
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