Real Madrid are arguably the greatest soccer club on earth. With 32 LaLiga titles, eleven European Cups, the latest of which came in May and having wrapped up another Club World Cup title, few clubs can match their success. Unsurprisingly, Los Blancos were named the best club of the twentieth century a few years ago.
Real Madrid have become a home to some of the finest talent to ever play the game. Such is their power within the game, both financially and emotionally, they often get to pick and choose from the best.
As proof of this, in 2000, current club president Florentino Perez, then in his first spell in charge, signed Portuguese winger Luis Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona. It was a transfer that shocked the world but, more importantly, demonstrated just how far Real could go in pursuit of glory.
It also kickstarted the ‘Galacticos’ era, which centred around signing a superstar each summer. The likes of Zinedine Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo and David Beckham followed. When Perez returned in 2009, he attempted a repeat, finalising a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United and signing AC Milan’s Kaka, Karim Benzema of Lyon and Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso in his first summer back.
Perez’s two tenures are just the tip of the iceberg for the Spanish giants. We’ve put a list of the five greatest ever Real Madrid players, in no particular order. Here goes…