MX23RW : Sunday, September 8 01:10:06| >> :60:1988:1988:

Top 10 Real Madrid players of all time - #1

Sports Mole's countdown of the top 10 Real Madrid players of all time concludes with number one - Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-2018)

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after helping his side to victory in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev© Reuters

Rarely does a fee of £80m seem like a bargain in retrospect, but the world-record figure Real Madrid paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo nine years ago has been repaid by the player many times over.

It was always going to take a truly special player to knock Alfredo Di Stefano off top spot as Madrid's greatest ever, and Ronaldo's exploits will place him down alongside the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi as one of the best players to have ever graced the game.

The 33-year-old had already won one Ballon d'Or before joining Madrid, but there is no doubt that the best years of his career have come at the Bernabeu, where his goalscoring feats have been scarcely believable.

Now a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo netted 33 times in just 35 appearances during his debut season in Madrid, and incredibly that proved to be by far his worst campaign. The Portugal captain has scored at least 50 goals in each of his subsequent eight seasons, averaging at least a goal per game in six of those.

Ronaldo went on to break Raul's Madrid scoring record in less than half the time it took the Spaniard to set it, and departs having scored 450 goals in just 438 appearances - putting him 127 goals clear of his nearest challenger.

Ronaldo's full list of records is far too long to list here, but his highlights include being the leading scorer in Europe's top six leagues, the leading scorer in European competition and netting the most hat-tricks in La Liga history (34).

Barcelona's dominance means that Ronaldo's trophy cabinet is perhaps not as full as one might expect - with only two La Liga titles from his nine years at the club - although they have been dominant in the Champions League recently, lifting the trophy three times in a row and four times in the last five years.

ID:330830: cacheID:330830:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3705:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo in action during the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev
Read Next:
Jose Mourinho congratulates Juventus
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Titans
@
Bears
6pm
Patriots
@
Bengals
6pm
Cardinals
@
Bills
6pm
Texans
@
Colts
6pm
Jags
@
Dolphins
6pm
Steelers
@
Falcons
6pm
Vikings
@
Giants
6pm
Panthers
@
Saints
9.05pm
Raiders
@
Chargers
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Seahawks
9.25pm
Cowboys
@
Browns
9.25pm
Washington
@
Buccaneers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona44001331012
2Real Madrid42207258
3Atletico MadridAtletico42206248
4Villarreal42209728
5GironaGirona42117437
6AlavesAlaves42115327
7Osasuna421157-27
8Celta Vigo420210916
9Leganes41213305
10Mallorca41212205
11Rayo Vallecano411245-14
12Athletic Bilbao411234-14
13Real Sociedad411234-14
14Espanyol411223-14
15Real ValladolidValladolid4112110-94
16Getafe30301103
17Real BetisBetis302113-22
18Las PalmasLas Palmas402247-32
19Sevilla402236-32
20Valencia401337-41


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!