Cristiano Ronaldo and the 10 Most Celebrated Real Madrid Players

In just two seasons, the world’s most expensive footballer has made quite a name for himself in the Spanish capitol.

Upon his arrival, tens of thousands of fans packed the Santiago Bernabeu for his unveiling, just to catch a glimpse of their new £80 million man in the famous all-white strip for the first time.

Ronaldo has since lived up to such enormous expectations. His 41 goals in La Liga last season were the most ever scored in a single Spanish campaign and his whopping 53 goals in total was the fist time any Madrid player had scored over 50 goals in a single season.

Ronaldo is merely a few goals away from reaching the 100-goal milestone for Madrid, and with his phenomenal goal-to-game ratio, expect a lot more goals from the Portuguese international.

The winger's name will surely be etched in the Madrid record books for years to come, but if he can help Los Blancos end their 10-year Champions League drought, he will undoubtedly be placed among legends at the White House.

That being said, let's look back at some of the most celebrated Real Madrid players in their illustrious history of world-class talent. (Names appear in chronological order.)

Alfredo Di Stefano

With Madrid From: 1953-1964

Honors: League titles (8), Spanish Cups (1), European Cups (5)  

Not only is Di Stefano regarded as one of the greatest players to have worn the Madrid shirt, but he was snapped up out from under Barcelona's noses.

There was a bit controversy surrounding his move to Madrid after having apparently signed a deal with Barcelona that was not recognized by the Spanish federation.

A deal was even almost reached that would have seen Di Stefano play for both Real Madrid and Barca, alternating each year for four seasons.

Fans and management alike protested this odd agreement and Di Stefano signed for Real Madrid with the exact details being a little hazy. Barcelona accused Madrid of using their ties to the government and Spanish FA to help sign Di Stefano.

Di Stefano went on to reach massive heights for Real Madrid. He was the first Madrid player to win the Ballon d'Or, as European Footballer of the Year, and won a closet full of trophies including eight league titles and five European Cups, scoring in each of the five finals. 

Francisco Gento

With Madrid From: 1953-1971

Honors: League titles (12), Spanish Cups (2), European Cups (6)

Gento played just one season with Racing Santander before being signed up by Real Madrid. Known for his speed, Gento was a left midfielder with a knack for scoring goals.

He played in eight European finals, winning six of them, and scoring 30 goals in Europe over his career. He holds the record of most European Cups won by any individual, with Paolo Maldini and Di Stefano both tied for second with five. 

Ferenc Puskas

With Madrid From: 1958-1967

Honors: League titles (5), Spanish Cups (1), European Cups (3)

Few football players would expect to reach the peak of their career after the age of 30, but that is exactly what happened for Ferenc Puskas.

After serving a two-year UEFA ban for refusing to return to Hungary for various political reasons, the Hungarian moved to Real Madrid at the age of 31.

In his very first season with Madrid, Puskas scored 23 goals, including four hat tricks. He went on to win the La Liga five times in a row and the European Cup three times.

A devastating left-footer, it is believed that Puskas astonishingly scored over 500 goals during his whole club career. 

Santillana

With Madrid From: 1971-1988

Honors: League titles (9), Spanish Cups (1)  

Santillana joined Real Madrid from Racing Santander at the age of 19. In his first season he netted 10 goals to help Madrid clinch the league that year.

In total, Santillana made over 700 appearances for Madrid, scoring over 350 goals. He holds the Madrid record for most goals in the Spanish Cup with 48. 

Jose Antonio Camacho

With Madrid From: 1973-1989

Honors: League titles (9), Spanish Cups (5) 

More recently known for his brief coaching stints with Madrid, Camacho was a consistent presence on the left side.

His debut came when he was just 18 years old, and he became a fixture in the starting lineup soon after. He tallied over 500 appearances for the team, with over 400 in the league alone.

Camacho won an outstanding nine league titles with Los Blancos as well as back-to-back UEFA Cups. Part of the famous "Quinta del Buitre," Camacho won the Copa Del Rey five times. 

Hugo Sanchez

With Madrid From: 1985-1992

Honors: League titles (5), Spanish Cups (2) 

A prolific goal scorer, Sanchez is widely regarded as the best player to emerge from the CONCACAF region. After a few good seasons in Mexico, Sanchez began to attract attention from Europe's elite.

He signed with Athletico Madrid in 1981, scoring over 50 goals for the Spanish outfit. In 1985, after winning the Copa Del Rey, and Pichichi Trophy in the process, Athletico's cross-city rivals came calling and it was off to Real.

At Madrid he won five consecutive league titles, as well as four consecutive Pichichi awards. His total goal ratio with Madrid was impressive with 207 goals in 283 matches, including 47 goals in 45 European Cup games. 

Fernando Hierro

With Madrid From: 1989-2003

Honors: League titles (5), Spanish Cup (1), European Cups (3)

When most people think of Fernando Hierro, they think of defensive class and leadership.

Few remember that when his career fist started he was played in a more advanced role and actually scored 21 goals in the '91-92 campaign.

Not many defenders can boast such stats, but Hierro scored over 100 goals for Madrid in his nearly 15-year chapter of their history.

Hierro went on to become a rock at the back for the Merengues. His strength in defense, combined with his fantastic passing ability, made Hierro a world-class defender for both club and country. 

Raul

With Madrid From: 1992-2010

Honors: League titles (6), European Cups (3)

A living legend, Raul was the symbol of Real Madrid for well over a decade. Madrid brought Raul into their youth team from local rivals Athletico when he was just 15 years old.

By time he was 17, he had worked his way up the development ranks and was playing for the senior team. In what would be the first of his many records, Raul became the youngest player to appear for the senior squad at just 17 years, 124 days old.

He finished his first season with nine goals, helping Madrid win the league that year. It was the start of what would be a long, fulfilled career that saw Raul shatter numerous individual records, including most goals in Real Madrid history with 323, and tallying the most appearances with 741.

Raul's also the top scorer in Champions League history with 71 goals. A true professional and icon for the Madrid faithful.

Zinedine Zidane

With Madrid From: 2001-2006

Honors: League titles (1), European Cups (1)

Zidane will forever be immortalized for his jaw-dropping left-footed volley (via a difficult dipping Roberto Carlos cross) against Bayern Leverkusen in the 2001/02 Champions League final.

Zizou was signed from Juventus earlier that season for what, at the time, was a world record transfer fee of about £53. He was the second arrival of Florentino Perez's "Glacticos" era, following Luis Figo the season before.

Zidane went on to win the La Liga title in his next season with Madrid as well as World Player of the Year. He spent five years with Madrid and was given a hero’s farewell in his last home match against Villarreal.

His game winner against Bayern Leverkusen was the last time Madridistas got a taste of Europe's most coveted prize. 

Iker Casillas

With Madrid From: 1998-

Honors: League Titles (4), Spanish Cup (1), European Cups (2)

As the captain and only remaining starter to come out of Madrid's youth system, Iker Casillas is hailed by Madridistas worldwide.

His first call-up to the Madrid senior team came in 1997 when he was just 16 years old. While he didn't make his first appearance until the next season, it was clear the talented young goalkeeper was to be part of Madrid plans for seasons to come.

In 2000, four days after his birthday, Casillas became the youngest goalkeeper to appear in a Champions League final, with Madrid beating Valencia 3-0.

The following season, San Ilker became second choice to Cesar Sanchez. However, Sanchez suffered an injury in the 2002 Champions League final with about 30 minutes still to go.

Casillas came off the bench to produce a flurry world class saves to deny Bayern Leverkusen and win Madrid their 9th European title. Casillas has been first choice keeper ever since and the rest as they say, is history.