Vinicius Jr, Cristiano Ronaldo and the 25 best Real Madrid players of the 21st century so far – ranked

Too little time in a Madrid shirt? Possibly. But Bellingham effectively carried Madrid with his goal-scoring – and then supplemented it with his versatility in midfield – during a memorable debut campaign at Santiago Bernabeu.

He really should have won the Pichichi to mark his first campaign, but a deeper role late on in the season saw him fall short. Still, 20-plus goals as a 20-year-old isn’t bad. And then there’s everything else in between. Bellingham can pass, tackle and run with the best of them. He might sometimes be criticised for his attitude, or demanded more of by expectant fans in Spain and England, but Bellingham has the quality to be among the best in the world for years to come. This is only the beginning.

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  24Claude Makelele

  A player so good they named a whole position after him. ‘The Makelele role’ wasn’t necessarily a new concept in football (defensive midfielders did indeed exist before the Frenchman), but his dominance in deep areas inspired a generation of players, and led to teams all over Europe trying to pick up their own midfield destroyer who could offer that extra bit of quality.

  Makelele’s time in the Spanish capital was perhaps too brief. He played for Los Blancos for three years, and made just 145 appearances. But when he was on the pitch, Madrid were immense. They won two La Liga titles with him in the side, and his relentlessness in the middle allowed everyone in front of him to express themselves.

  Zinedine Zidane would later admit to being outraged that Madrid let Makelele leave to join Chelsea in 2003. Others have poured over his ability, and his imprint on the football world can still be seen today.

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  23Angel Di Maria

  Di Maria’s club career has, admittedly, been mixed. Although his sheer quality has always been evident, he has never quite strung together multiple seasons of success. The closest he came, however, was in his four years in Madrid, as the winger played a key role in the pre-Gareth Bale era, serving as a valuable attacking presence either out wide or through the middle.

  What was always overlooked, though, was Di Maria’s defensive work, where he was always up for a scrap as an attacking midfielder alongside Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric. The numbers look decent, too, as he finished his Madrid career with 36 goals and 85 assists in 190 matches; not bad for a player who was never going to be a primary attacking option with Cristiano Ronaldo picking up Ballons d’Or in spades on the wing.

  Di Maria rounded off his Madrid career by being named Man of the Match in the Champions League final as Los Blancos beat city rivals Atletico to claim La Decima. It was some way to go out for the Argentine.

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  22Mesut Ozil

  When Real Madrid signed Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen in 2010, everyone knew that he was a fine player following his performances for Germany’s World Cup-winning side that summer. There were, however, some concerns. Could a young player cut it at Madrid, where he would be tasked with providing for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria?

  There shouldn’t have been any doubts, though. Ozil led Europe in assists in his debut season, and was the top creator in La Liga for three straight campaigns as his connection with his team-mates verged on telepathic. Ozil left Madrid with 80 assists, a La Liga trophy, and a highlight reel still worth watching today.

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  21Guti

  Let’s talk about that pass. Guti is through on goal, one-on-one with the Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper. He could probably put it right or left, and get himself on the scoresheet. Instead, in stride, without looking, the attacking midfielder knocked the ball backwards, a deft flick just a few yards behind him. And Zinedine Zidane capitalised, running into the empty space and side-footing home.

  It was entirely unnecessary, and Guti really should have scored himself. But instead, he went for the daring move, that extra bit of quality, and that was Guti’s game in a nutshell.

  A striker in his early days, Guti became a top-tier creator, renowned for his technique, vision and penchant for the dramatic. And although his best years for Madrid came around the turn of the century, he still finished his Blancos career with 77 goals and a whopping 94 assists.

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  20Gonzalo Higuain

  Higuain has something of a complicated legacy in the football landscape. Although he was an immensely successful goal-scorer at multiple levels of the game, he will, unfortunately, be remembered for some cruel misses. Still, before all of that, he was a standout talent for Madrid. The Argentine enjoyed six strong years in Madrid, finding the net 121 times – more than Ronaldo Nazario and Gareth Bale.

  Having arrived as a back-up to the aging Ruud van Nistelrooy, Higuain took his opportunity when the Dutchman sustained a serious injury in 2008. He finished second in La Liga’s Pichichi race in the 2009-10 season, and was an impact player for the next few years. Higuain left Madrid with three league titles and a Copa del Rey – though is one of the few players on this list to never lift a European Cup. Somehow, his legacy feels unfulfilled. Still, his impact was keenly felt in the Spanish capital.

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  19Xabi Alonso

  He may have left Liverpool because Rafa Benitez really wanted Gareth Barry, but Xabi Alonso became a true Real Madrid legend. He arrived in the Spanish capital at an admittedly strange time, with Los Blancos developing into a fantastic team – but one that was coming up short when compared to the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. In his first season in white, Alonso helped the team to a club-record 96 points – a mark that was still short of the 99 Barca tallied to win La Liga.

  He continued to make an impact across four more full seasons in white, and ran the show as a holding midfielder. He was named the best midfielder in La Liga in the 2011-12 campaign, and was part of the Champions League Team of the Season in 2013. Throw in a La Liga title and Champions League winners’ medal he left Madrid with, and it all makes for a fine career.

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  18Roberto Carlos

  A lot of Roberto Carlos’ more memorable moments as a footballer – including that free-kick – came in the last 1990s, and by the turn of the 21st century, the Brazilian was just on the other side of his prime. Still, there was a lot of football left in him. The marauding left-back was a constant from the old generation as the Galacticos came together, and survived numerous iterations of Los Blancos.

  Such longevity was always bound to bring some sort of material success. Carlos left Madrid in the summer of 2007, with four La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues to show for his 10 years of service. An iconic footballer who has inspired so many that have come since.

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  17Ronaldo

  Despite not quite hitting his full potential due to injury, ‘O Fenomeno’ still had a lot of football left in him by the time he joined Real Madrid. Having just won the World Cup and all but secured himself the Ballon d’Or in 2002, Ronaldo was no longer as explosive as in his early years, but remained a world-class focal point.

  He ended his Madrid career with 103 goals and 34 assists in 177 appearances – a good chunk of those coming in his first two years at the club. He might have slightly overstayed his welcome, but that will do nothing to take away from his greatness as a footballer.

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  16Dani Carvajal

  Carvajal has adapted his game so many times as he has aged. First a scrappy full-back, then a marauding presence, then cast aside as past his best, Carvajal rediscovered some of his old self in the 2023-24 campaign. He again became a real attacking threat and was often the player furthest up the pitch for Madrid as he found the net in a number of crucial games – not least the Champions League final.

  Carvajal’s future in the game remains frightfully uncertain. A serious knee injury sustained early this year could leave the 32-year-old out for 12 months, and it’s likely that Madrid have a succession plan in place for him. It would seem to be a cruel way to say goodbye to someone whose revived reputation has made him an all-time great at the Bernabeu.

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  15Casemiro

  Well, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric needed someone to do the dirty work for them… Modric was the fun part of Madrid’s all-conquering midfield of the mid-2010s, all clever angles and neat passes. Kroos was the pass master, metronomic pings short and long. And in the middle was Casemiro, sitting at the base of the trio and putting out fires everywhere. A hard-tackling No.6 with far more quality on the ball than he ever got credit for, Casemiro was the perfect complement to the two midfielders that went to work either side of him.

  In truth, Casemiro could really play anywhere and make it work. His ball-striking ability parallels that of most No.8s, while he can pick a pass like a classic No.10. At his best, Casemiro was the leading No.6 in world football, a jack-of-all-trades defensive midfielder who simply made everyone around him better.

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  14Luis Figo

  Very few players make the move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. Even fewer do it when they’re at the height of their powers, and a regular contender for the Ballon d’Or. But that’s exactly what Figo did in 2000.

  If there was any real distraction associated crossing the Clasico divide, Figo’s level on the pitch didn’t show it. The Portuguese won World Player of the Year in 2001, and spent five years scheming alongside Zidane in midfield. He left Madrid with two league titles to his name – the same number he won at Barca.

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  13Gareth Bale

  Let’s make something clear: Gareth Bale likes football. He probably likes it quite a lot, in fact: certainly enough to be Wales’ best ever and comfortably the best British player in La Liga’s history. It is perhaps only the harshness of Madrid fans and injury issues that have rather tainted his Blancos reputation – and seen him fall just below the list of greats for the club.

  But when Bale was on form, he was scintillating. There are all sorts of memorable moments and touchpoints to be found here. He effectively ended Marc Bartra’s top-level career with a ridiculous goal in the 2014 Copa del Rey final, and turned a Champions League final around with an audacious bicycle kick against Liverpool four years later.

  More broadly, though, Bales was a devastating goal-scorer and creator, who developed a telepathic connection with Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema. The highlights are always going to stand out, but so too are the 173 goal contributions. If only he could get Madrid fans to actually like him…

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  12Thibaut Courtois

  Perhaps Courtois makes this list on the back of one performance alone. Madrid might have been handily beaten in the 2022 Champions League final had it not been for the Belgian’s effort in goal, who made save-after-save to see off Liverpool pressure. But he is far more than just a big-game player; Courtois, for the last three years, has been the model of consistency in goal when healthy.

  An excellent shot-stopper, fine distributor, and real leader from the back, Courtois is perhaps the second-best goalkeeper to ever put on a Madrid short – not bad when you consider who is number one (more on that later). And at 32, he still has a lot more football left to play.

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  11Vinicius Jr

  Where will Vini rank on this list by the end of his career? Top five? Top three? He may have been an unfortunate second to Rodri in the 2024 Ballon d’Or race, but there is no doubt that the Brazilian is worthy of the prize at some point.

  After a few seasons of struggle following his move from Flamengo as a teenager, Vinicius has developed into arguably the best player in the world at Madrid. A devastating dribbler, tricky winger, and ever-improving finisher, he is now the perfect attacking presence for this Blancos team.

  Perhaps his best attribute, though, is the selflessness of his game. Yes, Vinicius is a showman and a real handful, but he always seems to know when to release the ball, and has no issues picking up an assist when a goal might have been on the cards. Factor in goals in two Champions League final wins, and his status as a bona fide Bernabeu legend is already almost confirmed.

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  10Marcelo

  Who says full-backs can’t be more skilful than forwards? Marcelo, these days, exists in YouTube clips and Twitter highlights reels, all flicks, tricks and stepovers. But that just tells half the story of one of Madrid’s greatest-ever defenders.

  Marcelo could defend with the best of them, tenacious at times and measured at others, meaning there really wasn’t a one-on-one matchup where you wouldn’t back him. By the twilight of his Madrid career, he was named captain, and left the club with more titles than any player in Blancos history. Not a bad legacy, considering the players who have donned the white shirt down the years.

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  9Raul

  Another club legend caught between eras, Raul played his best stuff for Madrid in the mid-late 90s. An academy kid who was rather phased out of the team as the 21st century took hold, he was nonetheless a true leader and immense talent.

  Raul is perhaps not remembered as much outside of Madrid because of the sheer talent of his successor. Until Cristiano Ronaldo arrived, Raul was the top goal-scorer in Blancos history and leading goal-scorer in the history of the Champions League. And perhaps more broadly, he was the central figure associated with Spain’s biggest club.

  Ronaldo’s achievements shouldn’t take away from Raul’s 741 Madrid appearances, two Pichichi titles, and the status that has come with him since returning to the Spanish capital to coach the youth sides.

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  8Pepe

  Whatever happened to the good old physical centre-back? Truly terrifying enforcers don’t really exist anymore, such is the evolution of the position to a more technical-based thing. Pepe was among the last, and Madrid were all the better for it. He offered the perfect partner for the do-it-all Sergio Ramos, scaring opponents with his aggressive tackling and often reckless attitude towards defending. In truth, Pepe’s tackles often verged on dangerous – and he got himself involved in some outright violent episodes.

  But when in control, Pepe was an excellent one-on-one defender, defined by his fearlessness, strength in the air, and skill on the ball. He scored plenty of timely goals for Madrid, too.

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  7Karim Benzema

  Karim Benzema had to wait for his moment at Madrid, but when it came along, he absolutely grabbed it and ran with it. Yes, the Frenchman scored plenty of goals while sharing the pitch with Ronaldo and Bale, but he also spent a lot of those years doing all of the selfless stuff – stuck in positions he couldn’t really express himself in while sacrificing his goal-scoring instincts. Only when Ronaldo left and Bale was phased out of the side did it become clear just how good Benzema could be. His 2021-22 campaign was one of the greats, as he scored 44 and assisted 15 more in all competitions on his way to winning the Ballon d’Or.

  Benzema led comeback-after-comeback in the Champions League that season, ensuring that Los Blancos remained the kings of Europe. And even in the injury-plagued final campaign in Madrid that followed, he still managed to make an impact. Always very good, Benzema left Madrid as a true great.

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  6Iker Casillas

  It probably says more about Madrid than Casillas that a player of his quality can only be sixth on this list. After all, the Spaniard is quite comfortably the best goalkeeper in his country’s history, and certainly up there among the greatest shot-stoppers of the modern era.

  Casillas was born in Madrid, made his first-team debut as a teenager, and didn’t really drop out of the team from then. He went on to become the youngest goalkeeper to play in the Champions League final, and the youngest to win it. He won every single major trophy possible at Madrid, including five La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues.

  In 2008, he placed fourth in the Ballon d’Or voting – an unheard of mark for a goalkeeper. He was perhaps slightly harshly moved along in 2015, but not before he could manage 725 appearances and five years as captain of the storied club.
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  5Toni Kroos

  Toni Kroos was never a very good athlete. He couldn’t, even in his prime, cover loads of ground, while e wasn’t one to fly into tackles, or run down an opponent. In most cases, the German really needed a defensive midfielder behind him, or a more workmanlike player to his right. But when everything was in place, Kroos was among the best passers to ever play the game. He could do pretty much everything when striking a ball: short or long, lofted or drilled. Give Kroos time, and a team around him to work with, and the German could metronomically pick an opponent apart.

  And perhaps crucially, Kroos knew exactly when to walk away. He enjoyed perhaps his best season in 2023-24, but with a younger generation coming into the fold in Madrid, there was nowhere else for him to go, no further heights to reach, as he secured a La Liga-Champions League double to leave the Bernabeu with 22 titles to his name.

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  4Sergio Ramos

  How to describe Ramos? Rolls Royce centre-back? Efficient goal-scorer? Master of the dark arts? The most versatile and complete defender Spain has ever produced is probably about right.

  Ramos might have started his career at Sevilla, but he will always be associated with Madrid white. First a right-back, then a centre-back, Ramos was an excellent athlete, fearsome one-on-one defender, and delightfully composed on the ball. He is remembered for his ability to step up in big moment, most notably his headed goal against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League that kept La Decima alive.

  But mostly, Ramos spent a lot of time going politely unnoticed, doing everything at such an elite level that it became a bit of a bore talking about him. Did he stretch the rules here and there? Sure. But all great centre-halves have their ways. Ramos was no different – and all the better for it.
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  3Luka Modric

  It seems harsh, in some ways, to put Modric ahead of Kroos. The two have been so closely associated for so long – their skillsets so complementary – that there’s really not much between them. Perhaps Modric gets points, then, for longevity, and that shiny Golden Ball he managed to pick up in 2018.

  Modric doesn’t score much or assist – especially not these days. But at his best, he is the perfect connective tissue for any midfield, a sort of No.8-No.10 hybrid who can link play with ease, and produce a killer pass when needed.

  And then, there’s his ability to just keep performing. Modric will be 40 soon, and he still looks like a crucial player for this Madrid team. He may never retire at this rate!

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  2Zinedine Zidane

  If Figo was the first Galactico, Zidane’s arrival in 2001 was confirmation of the project Madrid were undertaking. A perfect midfield maestro, Zidane was Modric before Modric, a do-it-all player in the centre of the park who could run games on his own.

  There were the big moments, of course: his volley in the 2002 Champions League final remains one of the great goals to grace the competition. And then there were all of the bits in between. The flicks, tricks and skills. The mazy runs, the leadership in the middle. Should he have won more at Madrid? Probably. But who cares? Zidane one of the best to ever do it, and couldn’t really have done more as an individual at the Bernabeu.
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  1Cristiano Ronaldo

  While he will always face Messi comparisons, there is absolutely no doubt that Ronaldo is the best player in Madrid history. The raw numbers alone make for ridiculous reading: 451 goals in 438 games in Madrid white; 105 coming in the Champions League, while he netted 34 hat-tricks in La Liga alone. Four Ballons d’Or, two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues barely touch the sides of what he achieved at the Bernabeu.

  But more importantly than all of that is what Ronaldo gave the footballing world: a true rivalry with one of the other greats of the game. A Madrid without Ronaldo would have laboured through La Liga for years, watching as a Messi-led Barca tore Spain apart. Ronaldo, first as a winger, then as a pure centre-forward, made Los Blancos competitors – and often winners in their own right.

  He will always have his critics, and always be singled out for his individualism, but the numbers don’t lie: Ronaldo is one of the best ever, and Real Madrid’s greatest.