As much as the famous No. 7 jersey of Real Madrid, once donned upon Raul, Emiliano Butragueno, and Cristiano Ronaldo himself, is a massive part of Madrid folklore, the role of Real Madrid striker has seen more glory and success than arguably any other one in sport.
This sort of trope is popular amongst fans of all sports, the No. 10 of Argentina, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, the point Ggard of the Los Angeles Lakers and many more all have storied pasts and high expectations for the next generations. But none of them have been associated with as much success as the leading man for the 15-time Champions League winners.
So who are the best to ever lead the line for The Blaugrana, not including Cristiano Ronaldo who despite being their all-time leading goalscorer was usually deployed out wide rather than as a prototypical striker.
5. Hugo Sánchez
A legendary striker with an outstanding Goals-to-Game ratio, Hugo Sánchez is the greatest North American player in the history of the sport. The Mexican striker arrived from rivals Atlético Madrid and immediately won fans over with a league leading 22 goals en route to Real Madrid’s 1985 La Liga title. Sanchez boasts an impressive 202 goals in 282 games, winning the Pichichi, (The award for the league’s top goalscorer) in four out of the next five years en route to five straight La Liga titles.
4. Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás was one of the first legendary goalscorers in soccer’s history for both Real Madrid and his home country of Hungary. Arriving in Madrid aged 31, Puskás would score 242 in just 262 for the club, winning three league titles and four international trophies. His goal-scoring prowess was best shown in the 1960 European Cup final, with Puskás scoring four goals in Madrid’s victory.
Puskás’ legacy goes even farther than The Blaugrana, winning the 1952 Olympic Games with Hungary and bringing them to the 1954 World Cup Final. Perhaps most notably, the goalscorer had one of the most respected awards in soccer named after him, the ‘Puskás’ award given out by FIFA for the most impressive goal scored in a calendar year.
3. Alfredo Di Stéfano
Fans will have to go deep into the archives to find records of one of sports’ first ever superstars, but Alfredo Di Stéfano’s transfer to Real Madrid in 1953 marked the awakening of one of the greatest sports franchises the world has ever seen. Di Stéfano’s Real Madrid would win the first five European Cups (predecessor to the Champions League) in the tournament’s history, and he would score in all five finals.
One of the most complete players of all time, Di Stefano was stolen right under the nose of Barcelona and his 308 goals for La Blaugrana would ignite the biggest rivalry in European soccer. The two time Ballon D’or winner is labeled on Real Madrid’s official website as ‘The best player in the history of Real Madrid’
2. Karim Benzema
Recently passing Raul’s goals-coring records is French striker Karim Benzema, thanks in part to his other-worldly 2021-22 campaign that saw him lift the Ballon D’or at the year's end. 60 goal contributions across all competitions with 15 goals in the Champions League including an incredible hat-trick in their miraculous comeback win against PSG, then another one the following round against Chelsea. Often in the shadows behind more illustrious attacking partners, he had to sacrifice his goal-scoring output to become a playmaker for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, but his breakout 2021-22 season at 33 years old will go down as one of the best seasons in the sports’ history.
Benzema left Real Madrid in 2023 having become the clubs’ second all-time goalscorer with 354 goals and 90 (fifth) in the Champions League.
1. Raul
Born in Madrid, the legendary Raul actually played for their local rivals Atlético Madrid in his formative years. The striker was allowed to slip through the cracks and join Real Madrid’s La Fabrica where he would shoot up through their academy and make his first team debut at 17 years old. Raul hit the ground running with 9 goals in 19 starts, helping Real Madrid end Barcelona’s run of four consecutive La Liga titles. The Spaniard would go on to win five more La Liga titles and score quite a few more goals alongside, but it was his success in the Champions League that pins him to the top of the list of Madrid’s greatest strikers.
At just 18, Raul would score 6 goals in 8 games during his debut campaign in Europe. A few years later he would go on to have one of the best Champions League runs in the competition's history, scoring 10 and assisting 4 en route to their Champions League victory, where he’d reach his double-digit tally with a goal in the final. Just a few years later, Raul would become the first player to score in multiple Champions League finals, scoring the opener in his third Champions League victory at just 23 years old.
Raul is now the fifth all-time Champions League goalscorer while captaining Real Madrid for seven years, contributing 323 goals in 741 appearances.