La Liga

Top 10 La Liga Players of All Time

Do you know the most legendary players who ruled La Liga?

by Malik Waleed
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If you love soccer, you’ll probably love La Liga because it has the distinction of being the most dynamic soccer league in the world. The Spanish league, also called La Liga Santander, has the privilege to witness some of the greatest soccer stars like Alfredo Di Stefano, Cesar Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

One of the primary reasons for the league’s popularity is the rivalry between the two giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid. These two clubs have been home to some of the most iconic superstars playing the beautiful game.

So our list also contains players from these two historic clubs. Let’s reveal the 10 best La Liga players of all time without delay.

10. Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas is considered the finest goalkeeper in Real Madrid and Spanish soccer history. The legend arrived at the club when he was just 9 years and spent 25 years at the club.

During his time at Real Madrid, he appeared in 725 official matches, winning every major trophy, including 5 La Liga titles, 3 Champions Leagues, and 2 Copa del Reys.

He is also a World Cup winner captaining Spain in the 2010 World Cup. He had excellent ball-stopping abilities. His saves proved to be a crucial part of Madrid’s success in many games. Such as the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He holds the record of 177 clean sheets, 3rd most in La Liga.

Casillas surpassed Paco Buyo when he was just 27 becoming the most capped goalkeeper in Real Madrid’s history. Casillas was included in FIFPRO World Xl five times. He finished his playing days at Porto and retired at 39. Now he’s remembered as one of the best ever La Liga players.

9. Carles Puyol

Carles Puyol was one of the greatest central defenders of his generation. He was famous for his mentality to read the game. He joined Barca’s youth system when he was 17 and moved into La Masia. Puyol played right back in his early career, but thanks to his versatility, he also loved playing at center-half.

His fans used to call him “El Tiburon” (The Shark). He captained Barca from August 2004 till his retirement in 2014. In this time frame, he appeared in 663 official matches and won 21 major titles, including 6 La Liga titles, 3 Champions Leagues, and 2 Copa del Reys.

Puyol’s 2009 season is said to be his most successful season. That year he won the Champions League, La Liga, and the Copa del Rey. This legend intended to play till 40; however, his injury-filled seasons made him retire at 35.

8. Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos was a true Madridista Legend. The greatest defender in the history of Real Madrid. The hero of La Decima with his iconic goal in stoppage-time in Lisbon back in 2014.

Ramos was presented at Bernabeu when he was 19, making his debut against Celta. From then on, he spent 16 years at Real Madrid. During this time, he made 671 appearances and won 22 major trophies, including 5 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, and 2 Copa del Reys.

He was also as good at scoring as he was at defense. He scored 101 goals for Madrid, an incredible figure for a defender.

Ramos was nominated 11 times for FIFPro World 11 and twice as the best defender in the Champions League.

He was the winner of the Golden Ball at the 2014 World Cup. Ramos left the Spanish Capital in 2021 and joined PSG on a free transfer. He remains one of the Top 10 greatest La Liga players of all time

7. Andres Iniesta

Iniesta is recognized as one of the best La Liga midfielders of all time with outrageous technical abilities. Iniesta also came through La Masia (Barca’s Youth Academy), making his debut in 2002 at 18. He was a versatile midfielder capable of playing in different midfield positions.

Iniesta played a total of 674 matches for the Catalan Side. He won La Liga 9 times, 4 times Champions League, and 6 times Copa del Rey. He was also part of the Spanish team that won the 2010 World Cup, scoring a goal in the final.

He netted 57 times and was also nominated for FIFPro World 11 for 9 times. Iniesta left Barcelona in 2018 and signed for a Japanese club.

6. Xavi

 

 

 

Xavi was a creative genius and the master of short pass philosophy “tiki-taka.” Xavi was one of the greatest central midfielders of the early 21st century. He made his Barca debut in 1998, and his Barca career consists of 767 matches.

Xavi won 8 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, and 6 Copa del Reys. He also played an instrumental role in helping the Spanish national team win the UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

Xavi and his teammates were unstoppable during Barca’s peak tiki-taka years. They beat Sir Alex’s legendary side Manchester United two times in the Champions League final. It was then when Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It wasn’t really Messi who was the problem. It was Iniesta and Xavi. They can keep the ball all night long”.

5. Cesar Rodriguez Alvarez

Cesar was one of Spain’s all-time great footballers and was a natural center forward. He was famous for his powerful headers. Cesar was among the best La Liga strikers of his era.

He lit up La Liga in the mid-50s, scoring 352 La Liga goals in 352 appearances. During his time at Barcelona, Cesar won 5 La Liga Titles, 3 Copa del Reys, and 2 Copa Latina titles. He had extraordinary dribbling and shooting skills.

He was the leading goal scorer in Barcelona’s history until Lionel Messi surpassed him. Cesar won 12 caps with the national team scoring 6 goals. He was honored by Barcelona on June 3, 1951, at Les Corts Stadium.

He left the Catalan Capital at age 35 and rejoined the club as a coach in 1963 but soon left at the start of the 1964/65 season. He remains one of the La Liga top scorers.

4. Raul Gonzalez

Raul had an astonishing career at Los Blancos, spending 16 years. In his early footballing days, Raul played for Atletico Madrid‘s youth academy and was later signed by Real Madrid. On Oct 29, 1994, Raul made his debut with the Whites’ shirt. Nobody suspected he’d become one of the biggest La Liga legends.

He was a fantastic striker with gifted ball control. Raul netted 323 times for Los Blancos and is the fifth highest goal scorer in La Liga Espanola, with 228 goals in 550 matches.

He won 6 La Liga titles, 3 Champions Leagues, and 4 Spanish Super Cups. He captained Madrid from 2003 till he left the club in 2010. In his career, Raul played a total of 1000 matches. The legend left Madrid in 2010 and joined the German club FC Schalke.

3. Alfredo Di Stefano

The greatest striker of his era, Alfredo Di Stefano, is often regarded as the man who made Real Madrid great. Di Stefano arrived at the Spanish Capital on Sep 22, 1953. He spent 11 magical years at Real Madrid.

In just a few years, Stefano had already turned Real Madrid’s reputation from a struggling club to the most dominant force in Europe. He almost scored in every match he played, making him insanely popular in Europe.

His honors at the club include 18 trophies, including 8 La Liga titles, 5 consecutive Champions League titles, and 1 Spanish Cup. He scored 308 goals in 396 matches for Real Madrid. He won Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959.

Di Stefano was seen everywhere on the field, having great touch, incredible finishing, and an accurate long-distance shot. Di Stefano retired in 1964 after many great years at Real Madrid.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo left a legacy at the Bernabeu, which will be remembered forever. His impact at Madrid was truly phenomenal, and his move to Madrid is considered the most incredible signing of the sport.

Madrid paid a massive amount of €94 million to sign him from Manchester United. He was unveiled at Bernabeu on July 6, 2009, in front of almost 80000 fans and was welcomed by Don Alfredo.

During his 9 years at Madrid, he won 2 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, 2 Copa del Reys, and 3 Club World Cups. No player at the club has ever scored so many goals as Ronaldo, with 451 goals in 438 appearances.

His list of honors at Madrid also contains 4 Ballon d’Ors and 3 Golden Shoe awards. His free kicks left La Liga goalkeepers standing like a statue.

Spanish defenders were also victims of his vast array of skills, and his gravity-defying goals made fans gasp in awe.

After so many glorious years, Ronaldo left the club in 2018, winning his last Champions League with the Whites’. He remains one of the most significant La Liga legends today.

1. Lionel Messi

When it comes to La Liga Española, who else to put on top than Lionel Messi? Torching the opposition with his wonderfully gifted dribbling skills, Leo is said to be the greatest ever to have graced La Liga.

Messi arrived in the Catalan Capital at 9 and moved into La Masia. He made his debut on Oct 16, 2004, with the first team. During his 16 seasons at Camp Nau, Leo’s trophy haul seems unreal, with a club record of 35 trophies.

His trophies in the first team include 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, 7 Copa del Reys, and 3 Club World Cups. He also holds the record for the highest goals in La Liga’s history with 474 goals.

The genius also has the record for most assists provided in La Liga’s history with 36 assists. Leo won the Ballon d’Or 7 times, which is another record.

The moments he played will long live in the memory of Catalan fans. The legend left the Catalan Capital in 2021 due to financial constraints and joined the French club PSG. He remains on second place as the player with most La Liga titles – just behind Real Madrid’s Paco Gento.

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