The 5 greatest players in Real Madrid history

MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 19: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring Real's 3rd goal during their La Liga match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on 19 November 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 19: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring Real's 3rd goal during their La Liga match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on 19 November 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – DECEMBER 18: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid controls the ball under pressure of Mitsuo Ogasawara of Kashima Antlers during the FIFA Club World Cup final match between Real Madrid and Kashima Antlers at International Stadium Yokohama on December 18, 2016 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – DECEMBER 18: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid controls the ball under pressure of Mitsuo Ogasawara of Kashima Antlers during the FIFA Club World Cup final match between Real Madrid and Kashima Antlers at International Stadium Yokohama on December 18, 2016 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) /

5. Cristiano Ronaldo

Last, but certainly not least, Ronaldo is the man who did eventually beat Raul’s goalscoring record and he is still setting his total now, currently sitting on 380 from just 367 games.

The 31-year-old is arguably the only signing Real Madrid have ever made who lived up to Di Stefano’s legacy. He joined from Manchester United in 2009 for $95million and in each of the seven seasons since, he has scored over 50 goals in six of them. His debut campaign, in which he suffered big injury issues, yielded an impressive 33 goals.

As has already been established, performances on the pitch will never be enough to be revered at the Santiago Bernabeu. Players need to take responsibility in the big games and become a leader for the players whether they are wearing the captain’s armband or not. Ronaldo does that excellently.

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Having just signed a new bumper five-year contract, despite his advanced years, there is no sign of Ronaldo slowing down in the white shirt of Madrid. There is also the small matter of the Portuguese star clinching his fourth Ballon d’Or and beating his eternal rival Lionel Messi this month, too.

In reality, the argument as to who is the best of the best for Los Blancos is three-fold. Choosing between Ronaldo, Raul and Di Stefano is tough and depends on your generation, but they have all played their part and created a legacy in their respective eras.

Cristiano Ronaldo has done it all, but the scary thought is there is still more time for him to rewrite history.