One of the most decorated teams in world football, Real Madrid has featured some of the best forwards in the world, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian Ronaldo, Raul, and Karim Benzema.
Here we present the best Real Madrid strikers of all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Setting a record fee of 80 million pounds upon his transfer from Manchester United, the striker made a monumental impact on Los Blancos over a nine-year stretch. The Portuguese forward surpassed Raul, the previous number seven, with 450 goals of his own on 438 appearances, averaging over one per game. Ronaldo is a four-time Champions League winner, a two-time Spanish league champ, and the four-time Ballon d’Or winner as a member of Los Blancos, one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Raul
Considered one of the greatest Spanish players of all time for his ball control and knack for goal, Raul broke into the Real Madrid first team as a 17-year-old. The rest is history. He spent 16 years with Los Blancos, scoring 323 goals, ranking him third on Madrid’s all-time scoring list. The 6-time La Liga Champion also starred in 3 Champions League wins and four Spanish Super Cups.
Hugo Sanchez
In a seven-year career at the Bernabeu from 1985 to 1992, the Mexican striker won five consecutive league titles, a Spanish Cup, and the UEFA Cup. A prolific and spectacular goal-scorer, he fired 164 goals in the domestic league, 38 of which he snagged during the 1989-90 season.
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema was an absolute gem for Los Blancos. In his 14 seasons with the club, the crafty and mighty forward scored 324 goals. That tally makes him the team’s second-all-time highest scorer behind Ronaldo. Benzema also played an integral role in Madrid squads that have won 5 Champions League, 4 La Liga, and 3 Copa Del Rey.
Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d’Or for his incredible 2021/22 season in which he bagged a goal a game, including pivotal back-to-back hat tricks in the Champions League knockout stages.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário
Part of the Galácticos era, which saw teammates Zidane, Beckham, and Roberto Carlos join the squad, Ronaldo played 5 years with Los Blancos and scored over 100 goals. Following his second Ballon d’Or in 2002, he won La Liga with Real, finishing as top scorer in the league.
Gareth Bale
The Welsh forward Gareth Bale scored one of the most memorable goals in Champions League history — a bicycle kick that sealed the victory for Real Madrid against Liverpool in 2018. A five-time Champions League winner, he collected three La Liga titles and multiple cup trophies. With 18 pieces of silverware to his name, plus 106 goals and 67 assists in 258 appearances for Los Blancos — by the way, that’s more trophies than Zidane, more assists than Beckham, and more goals than Ronaldo Nazario — Bale, love him or hate him, is a Madrid legend.
Emilio Butragueno
The Spanish striker played eleven seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu, netting 123 times and contributed to a bag of titles, including the team’s two UEFA Cups, two Copa del Rey, and six La Liga titles.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
The prolific-scoring Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy bagged 64 goals in his 96 caps with Real Madrid. He was the team’s top scorer in the 2006-07 season. A two-time La Liga champion, he, unfortunately, suffered injuries in the latter half of his tenure for the club.
Kaka
The Brazilian midfielder Kaká also played forward in his four years with Real Madrid, tallying 29 goals, and 32 assists in 120 appearances. Nagged by persistent injuries, he nonetheless won one La Liga title and a Copa del Rey.
Alfredo Di Stefano
A star forward at Real Madrid for eleven seasons, the Argentine forward Alfredo Di Stefano scored a remarkable 216 games in 282 games with Los Blancos. His honors include eight First Division titles, five European Cups, and a Copa Del Rey.
Francisco Gento
The so-called “Storm Of The Cantabrian,” as he was known to many Real Madrid fans, Francisco Gento was an absolute handful for defenses. He scored 178 goals in over six hundred appearances, winning an astonishing twelve La Liga titles, six European Cups, and two Copa del Rey.
Photo: Twitter/@cristiano
