Ranking the Top 20 South Americans to Play for Real Madrid
From their very first days as an amateur football club, Real Madrid's success has been built on bringing players from all four corners of the earth. In particular, South American talent has been key in making Los Blancos Europe's most decorated institution.
From the very first European Cup in 1955 to La Decima 59 years later, the Bernabeu has rocked to the beat of Brazilian, Chilean, Uruguayan and, more than any other, Argentine talent. This article honours those from across the Atlantic Ocean who have represented Madrid with pride over the years.
The list of 20 stars of course focuses on players born on the South American continent. Therefore, a legend such as Hugo Sanchez is missing not on merit but due to his birthplace of Mexico. Similarly, current star Pepe may have been born in Brazil but his career is too intertwined with adopted home Portugal to be taken into account here.
20. Eulogio Aranguren
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As stated in the introduction, South America, and more specifically Argentina's association with Los Merengues, began right at the start of their history. Just nine years after their formation in 1902, the club already boasted their first stars from the other side of the Atlantic.
Eulogio Aranguren turned up in Madrid in 1911, and he stayed for 10 years; although due to the rather disorganised nature of Spanish football at that time, he only made 20 appearances. The defender was nevertheless a pioneer, and he helped the club to a Copa del Rey triumph in 1917.
19. Sotero Aranguren
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Eulogio Aranguren may be fondly recalled in Madrid, but his brother became one of the team's first superstars. Sotero represented the club in the same era as Eulogio, and only a premature death stopped him from becoming one of the greatest players ever to pull on the white shirt.
The midfielder netted four times in 60 matches, but he passed away in 1922 at just 28. A statue was inaugurated for the Buenos Aires native, which still stands in the Santiago Bernabeu almost 100 years later as a symbol of Blanco greatness.
18. Juan Carlos Tourino
3 of 20Tough-tackling defender Juan Carlos Tourino was born in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Parque Patricios to Spanish parents who had fled across the Atlantic to escape the bloody Civil War of 1936-39. Somewhat ironic, then, that in the 1970s, the Argentine would represent with distinction the team that General Franco chose as his expression of central Spanish power and virility.
Political questions aside, the ex-Quilmes player was a pillar at the heart of the Merengues defence, picking up three Liga titles in a six-year spell at the Bernabeu. Tourino even came back from a horrific leg break and subsequent depression during his time in Spain, winning the double in 1973/74 to show his fortitude and loyalty to the club.
17. Robinho
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Brazilian star Robinho has curiously not been remembered well from his time in the Spanish capital. Perhaps the contract wrangling at the end of his spell has ruined memories in Madrid, or maybe the less than scintillating performances the forward has put in since leaving the Bernabeu have retroactively seeped into the mind of supporters.
Whatever the reason, Robinho deserves recognition for what was a very respectable spell with Madrid, considering that Los Merengues were the first club he represented after moving away from Santos.
Only Raul and Ruud van Nistelrooy outscored the Brazilian during his four seasons with the Spanish club, while he pitched in with more than a few assists that were key to Madrid's 30th Liga title in 2006/07.
16. Kaka
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Former Milan star Kaka was the first signing of president Florentino Perez in 2009, as the infamous Galactico chief returned to Real Madrid to try and bring glory back to the club. But despite his outrageous talent, the playmaker could never quite show his true best while wearing the famous white shirt.
Kaka made 120 appearances in four seasons for the Spanish club, contributing 29 goals and winning a Liga and a Copa del Rey during his time at Madrid. If not for injury and constant coaching instability, it could have been so much better for the brilliant midfielder.
15. Roberto Juan Martinez
6 of 20Unusually for Real Madrid's South American talent, Roberto Martinez was not plucked directly from Argentina. The Mendoza native earned the right to a big transfer after three distinguished years in Catalunya with Espanyol, before Los Merengues came knocking.
Martinez notched 61 goals in 192 appearances for Madrid, leading the forward line in the late 1970s before returning to Espanyol.
14. Savio
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The Blonde Devil was an unpredictable player. Outrageously talented when conditions were right, Brazilian winger Savio also had the infuriating habit of disappearing from games at any given time, making him a brilliant but intensely frustrating talent.
Real Madrid fans applauded and cursed the Brazilian for five years, after he moved to the Bernabeu in 1998 aged just 24. In total, Savio made 160 appearances for the club, and despite falling in and out of the first team, he was still crucial in that brilliant run of three Champions League medals at the turn of the millennium.
13. Santiago Solari
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The path of Santiago Solari to professional football is eerily similar to that followed by Javier Mascherano a decade later. Both Santa Fe province natives started playing at renowned academy club Renato Cesarini, before moving to Buenos Aires with River Plate and from there to conquer the world.
But while Masche moved from Liverpool to represent Barcelona, the left winger's destiny was on the other side of Spain's great football divide.
Solari starred for Madrid over the course of five years at the start of the new millennium. In total, the midfielder turned out more than 200 times for Los Merengues, crowning his time at the club with victory in the 2001/02 Champions League.
12. Jorge Valdano
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Santa Fe native Jorge Valdano may not have shined quite as brightly as compatriot Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid, but the Argentine has in various capacities represented the club proudly like few other South Americans over the years.
The 1986 World Cup winner arrived in the Bernabeu two years before that success and has since coached the youth divisions, the first team and also acted as director of football in several spells.
His time with Los Merengues as a player was short but sweet. In three years, Valdano racked up 40 goals in 85 appearances, partnering Emilio Butragueno and Hugo Sanchez in a potent attack. That terrible trio led Madrid to back-to-back Liga titles from 1985-87, as well as two UEFA Cup successes.
11. Roque Olsen
10 of 20Perhaps best known as a journeyman coach in his adopted nation, who directed Las Palmas up to the day he died in 1992, Roque Olsen was a star at Europe's most prestigious club of the time. The former Racing Club and Tigre striker joined Real Madrid in 1950, scoring goals at the very start of their most successful period.
Olsen formed a formidable all-Argentine forward line alongside Di Stefano and Hector Rial until 1957, when he continued his career with Cordoba.
10. Gonzalo Higuain
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It is not easy for forward stars to win the confidence of the Bernabeu. Few audiences are so demanding of the players contracted to smash home goals, meaning that even footballers like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema or Van Nistelrooy struggle to win over home support.
Argentine star Gonzalo Higuain is a prime example of this fickle judgement. The ex-River Plate star smashed 122 goals in 264 games for Los Merengues, a figure that out of all Madrid's South American superstars, only Di Stefano has managed to beat. But still, opinion remains divided on the current Napoli striker.
9. Marcelo
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Comparisons between players of different eras are almost always unfair. Pacey left-back Marcelo has become a star with Madrid for his surges up the flanks, but the Brazilian player has been condemned to labour with the tag of successor to Merengues great Roberto Carlos.
Those parallels aside, Marcelo has done much to be proud of during seven years at Madrid, whom he joined back in 2007 at the tender age of 18. He took his time to settle in to life in Spain, but for the last six seasons has been an undisputed presence in defence, racking up just under 300 games in the famous white shirt.
8. Angel Di Maria
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Angel Di Maria's relationship with Real Madrid may be temporarily harmed by an acrimonious exit to Manchester United in the past transfer window. But as those wounds heal, moments like the winger's heroic burst to win La Decima will be recalled for far longer by Los Merengues faithful.
The former Rosario Central and Benfica man went from extremely raw talent when he arrived at the Bernabeu to arguably the world's best wide midfielder upon leaving. His four years at Madrid were full of incident, but few have given more to the Madrid cause in recent times than the lanky Argentine.
7. Fernando Redondo
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Argentine star Fernando Redondo was one of the best defensive midfielders around in the 1990s. The Real Madrid star combined tough tackling with elegant distribution and plenty of spirit to lead Los Merengues from the middle, which endeared him greatly to a Bernabeu that adopted him as their own.
Redondo represented Madrid for a full six seasons, making nearly 250 appearances for the institution before a move to Milan and subsequent injury trauma that ended his top-level career.
Madrid enjoyed the Argentine dynamo at the peak of his powers before his knee gave out. Two Liga titles and two Champions Leagues signalled the return of the club during Redondo's time as a top player in world football, following the black years of the early 1990s.
6. Hector Rial
15 of 20It is no surprise that members of Real Madrid's golden generation of the 1950s and '60s feature heavily on this list. Born in Pergamino, Argentina, Hector Rial is not a household name like some of his peers from that period, but he deserves recognition for his part in the glory years.
The striker's career followed a similar early trajectory to that of Di Stefano, starting off as a promising young talent in San Lorenzo before following the money to El Dorado. After starring with Colombia's Santa Fe and later moving to Nacional of Uruguay, 1954 saw Rial cross the Atlantic and join Madrid's hopefuls.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Rial lifted an astonishing five European Cups in his seven years in the capital, before moving to Espanyol. With 81 goals in 166 games, he formed an important part of arguably the greatest club side ever to take to a football pitch.
5. Ronaldo
16 of 20If nothing else, Brazilian phenomenon Ronaldo was certainly not scared to upset former fans by crossing football's sacred divides. The two-time World Cup winner is the only person in history to have represented both Barcelona and Madrid in Spain's bitterest of clashes, as well as both sides of Milan's Derby della Madonnina.
It is easy to remember the teenage striker's devastating, solitary season in Catalunya while putting to one side what he achieved in the capital. But that would be a mistake. Ronaldo was a player at the height of his powers in Madrid, and 104 goals in 177 games proves just how effective he proved.
Ronaldo's last season with the club, marred by injury and weight problems, tarnished his overall reputation in Madrid. But that is unfair; simply taking a look at the masterclass the Brazilian gave Manchester United in the 2002/03 Champions League demonstrates what a special player he was.
4. Ivan Zamorano
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It was difficult not to admire Ivan Zamorano when he took the field. The powerful forward had talent to spare, but what marked him out as a true great, in Madrid just as in Inter and Colo-Colo, where he is also considered an idol, was his brilliant work rate and unbeatable heart.
Signed from Sevilla in 1992, Bam Bam led Los Merengues' attack for four seasons before moving to Italy. The Chilean star smashed an impressive 101 goals in 173 appearances, although he had the misfortune of playing in less trophy-packed times than many of his peers on this list.
Nevertheless, Zamorano played a vital part in turning around the history of Spanish football. It was his 28 Liga goals in 1994/95 that won Madrid the title and a Pichichi top-scorer medal for good measure. That championship ended the reign of Johan Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team," bringing Madrid back level with their hated rivals after a torrid start to the 1990s.
3. Jose Santamaria
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The best teams, even one with the likes of Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Francisco Gento and Raymond Kopa running riot, still need to have a strong defence. Uruguayan-born Jose Santamaria may not enjoy as high a profile as those idols from Madrid's all-conquering 1950s and '60s team, but he was just as crucial to success.
The defender, nicknamed "The Wall" for the impenetrable obstacle he posed for attackers, arrived from Nacional at the age of 28. But he still had his best years ahead of him, playing for Madrid for more than 10 years and making 339 appearances before retiring just short of his 40th birthday in 1966.
His roll of honour is quite simply outstanding, picking up four European Cups and six Ligas in a golden decade for football in the Spanish capital.
2. Roberto Carlos
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Who can forget the diminutive, bald left-back that for over a decade bombed up and down the flank for Los Merengues, striking fear into the hearts of defenders across Spain and Europe? Brazil star Roberto Carlos was a titan in the Bernabeu, not least for his devastating free-kick deliveries.
Madrid's swoop for the defender in 1996 from Inter must count as one of the greatest pieces of business ever carried out by the club. Carlos repaid Los Blancos' faith with 527 appearances, a record for a non-Spanish player, and an impressive 69 goals from full-back.
The Brazilian was a constant in a team marked by Perez's Galacticos policy and ever-changing line-ups. His loyalty was well rewarded, as Madrid lifted four Liga titles and three Champions Leagues in their most successful spell in almost 50 years.
1. Alfredo Di Stefano
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There can be no serious discussion over who is the greatest South American ever to pull on the famous white shirt. Argentine Di Stefano, who passed away in July, was an icon at Madrid and will be remembered eternally in the institution.
The former River Plate and Millonarios forward landed in the Spanish capital after a bitter transfer battle with Barcelona and soon made the Catalans regret losing out. With Di Stefano pulling the strings alongside Puskas, Los Merengues took five consecutive European Cups between 1956 and 1960.
A personal record of 307 goals in 396 games and two Ballon d'Or honours also marked Di Stefano's Madrid career, an incredible feat for a man already 27 years old when he moved to Europe.
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