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Top 10 Real Madrid players of all time - #1

Sports Mole's countdown of the top 10 Real Madrid players of all time concludes with number one - Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-2018)

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after helping his side to victory in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev© Reuters

Rarely does a fee of £80m seem like a bargain in retrospect, but the world-record figure Real Madrid paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo nine years ago has been repaid by the player many times over.

It was always going to take a truly special player to knock Alfredo Di Stefano off top spot as Madrid's greatest ever, and Ronaldo's exploits will place him down alongside the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi as one of the best players to have ever graced the game.

The 33-year-old had already won one Ballon d'Or before joining Madrid, but there is no doubt that the best years of his career have come at the Bernabeu, where his goalscoring feats have been scarcely believable.

Now a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo netted 33 times in just 35 appearances during his debut season in Madrid, and incredibly that proved to be by far his worst campaign. The Portugal captain has scored at least 50 goals in each of his subsequent eight seasons, averaging at least a goal per game in six of those.

Ronaldo went on to break Raul's Madrid scoring record in less than half the time it took the Spaniard to set it, and departs having scored 450 goals in just 438 appearances - putting him 127 goals clear of his nearest challenger.

Ronaldo's full list of records is far too long to list here, but his highlights include being the leading scorer in Europe's top six leagues, the leading scorer in European competition and netting the most hat-tricks in La Liga history (34).

Barcelona's dominance means that Ronaldo's trophy cabinet is perhaps not as full as one might expect - with only two La Liga titles from his nine years at the club - although they have been dominant in the Champions League recently, lifting the trophy three times in a row and four times in the last five years.

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Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo in action during the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CReal Madrid34276174225287
2GironaGirona34235673423174
3Barcelona34227570432773
4Atletico MadridAtletico34214963392467
5Athletic Bilbao341710755332261
6Real Sociedad341412848351354
7Real BetisBetis34131384339452
8Valencia34138133739-247
9Villarreal34129135658-245
10Getafe341013114147-643
11AlavesAlaves34118153238-641
12Sevilla341011134546-141
13Osasuna34116173751-1439
14Las PalmasLas Palmas34107173043-1337
15Celta Vigo34810164052-1234
16Rayo Vallecano34713142743-1634
17Mallorca34614142740-1332
18CadizCadiz34414162349-2626
19Granada3449213664-2821
RAlmeria34211213367-3417


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