Top 10 Best Real Madrid Defenders Of All Time

Who the best Real Madrid defenders of all time are is a debatable topic. I know that by the time am through with the names of the best Real Madrid defenders of all time, there will be disagreements.

Some for their position, some for been on the list at all.

But know that I have carefully looked at each one’s stats to come up with these ratings.

Let’s now see who leads in my best Real Madrid defenders of all time list.

10. Jacinto Quincoces

Jacinto Quincoces was a former Real Madrid defender and was among the first set of defenders that brought recognition and respect to the role.

Quincoces, who starts my list of best Real Madrid defenders of all time, joined the club in 1931 and established himself as one of the greatest defenders of the inter-war era. 

He stayed with the club from 1931 to 1942 through three years in between (1936 to 1939) was actually characterized by a national pause in football due to the civil war.

Quincoces’ style of defending was more tactical than aggressive and was one of the few defenders that relied on game reading than brute strength.

9. Miguel Porlán Noguera

Popularly known as Chendo, Miguel PorlánNoguerais a 60-year-old former real Madrid Right back who established himself as one of the top players in his generation.

Miguel made his official debut for the senior team in 1982 and won seven la liga titles, two Cop del Rey, one Copa de la Liga, five Supercopa de Espana, one UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Super Cup, and one Copa Iberoamericana.

8. Miguel Salgado Fernández

Widely known for being extremely aggressive with tackles, Miguel Salgado Fernándezwas a bane to most opponents, with the No-nonsense Real Madrid Right back establishing himself as a force to reckon with in Europe.

Miguel joined Madrid in 1999 and went on to spend a decade with the club while winning trophies along the way.

He won four La Liga titles, three Supercopa de Espana, two Champions League, One intercontinental cup, and one UEFA Super Cup.

He played 341 La Liga matches and scored seven goals before being released in 2009 due to Sergio Ramos’s emergence and subsequent dominance.

7. Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior

Marcelo Viera is one of the greatest Left back to have ever worn the Real Madrid shirt and is widely considered as among the three greatest left-back in the world.

best real madrid defenders of all time

Together with Sergio Ramos, the skillful and tactical Brazilian formed a wall at the back of the Madrid team, with the former dominating the center while he sliced through opponents’ defenses from the wing.

Marcelo’s game style is characterized by skills, bursts of short runs, and pinpoint crosses.

He is extremely dominant on the air and is usually know to disposes of opposition strikers with sliding tackles.

Marcelo has won five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, five Supercopa de Espana, four Champions League, three UEFA Super Cup, and four FIFA Club World Cup.

Jose Santamaria is a 91-year-old former Real Marid Centre back and retired manager.

 

best real madrid defenders of all time

The Spaniard started his career in the Nacional club in 1948 in Uruguay and won five national championships before joining Real Madrid in 1957.

Jose coming proved to become his most important career decision as he quickly established himself as one of the best defenders in the club’s history.

He won the La Liga trophy in the 1957/1958 season and also in 1960-1965.

He won the European Cup with Real Madrid from 1957 to1960 and the 1965/1966 season.

In 1960 he won the Intercontinental Cup and the Copa Del Rey in 1962.

Throughout his career with Real Madrid, Jose appeared in 227 matches and scored two goals before retiring in 1966.

5. Manuel Sanchis Hontiyuelo

Manuel SanchisHontiyuelo is a 56-year-old former Real Marid central back.

He started his youth career in Castilla, Real Madrid youth Academy, in 1983 and played in 10 matches, scoring two goals.

Sanchis joined the senior team in 1983 and scored the sole goal, which became the winner in his debut match against Real Murcia.

His bright start with the senior team paved his way into winning the La Liga from 1985 to 1990, 1994 to 1997, and the 2000/2001 season.

 

He won the UEFA Cup with the club from 1984 to 1986 and the Copa De La Liga in 1985. He also won the Copa del Rey in the 1988/1989 and 1992/1993 season, and the Supercopa de Espana from 1988 to 1990, and 1993 to 1997.

Sanchiswon the UEFA Champions League with the club from 1997 to 2000 and the Intercontinental Cup in 1998.

He spent 15 years with Real Madrid and was the senior team captain for 13 years, spending most of his career years as the team leader.

Throughout his career with the club, he played in 710 matches and scored 33 goals.

He won over 550 tackles, 500 interceptions, and over 100 aerial duels. Sanchis retired in 2001 at the age of 36.

4. Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos is a 48-year-old former Real Marid left-back and coach.

best real madrid defenders of all time

The Brazilian started his career with Brazil club Uniao Sao Joao in 1991, where he played 21 matches and scored three goals before joining Palmeiras in 1993.

He played 44 matches and scored three goals with the club before joining Inter Milan in 1995, where he played 30 matches and scored five goals.

Carlos joined Real Madrid in 1996 and won the La Liga title with the club in the 1996/1997 season, 2001/2002 to 2002/2003 season, and 2006/2007 season.

He won the UEFA Champions League with the club from 1997 to 2002 and the Supercopa de Espana in 1997, 2001, and 2003.

 

He also won the UEFA Super Cup with the club in 2002 and the Intercontinental Cup in 1988 and 2002.

Throughout his 11-year-career with the club, he played in 370 matches and scored 47 goals.

He left the club in 2007.

3. Jose Antonio Camacho

Jose Antonio Camacho is a 66-year-old former Real Marid Left-back and retired manager.

best real madrid defenders of all time

The Spaniard started his career in Albacete in 1972 before joining Castilla, the youth academy of Real Madrid, in 1973.

He joined the first team in 1974, at 18, with his debut coming in a 1-0 loss against CD Malaga.

He won the La Liga with Real Madrid from 1974 to 1980 and 1985 to 1989, the Copa Del Rey from 1973 to 1975, 1979 to 1982, and 1988 to 1989.

From 1984 to 1986, he won the UEFA Cup with the club and the Copa De La Liga in 1985.

He also won the Supercopa de Espana with the club in 1988 and 1989.

Although he had an injury in 1978 during training that made him stay away from football for almost two years, it didn’t stop the champion’s football career as he came back even stronger.

 

Throughout his 15 years in Real Madrid, Antonio played in over 500 matches, scored nine goals, won more than 500 tackles, and won over 98 aerial duels.

He retired in 1989.

Fernando Hierro is a 53-year-old former Real Marid central back and coach.

best real madrid defenders of all time

The Spaniard started his football youth career in 1980 in Velez before joining Malaga in 1984.

He had a poor run with the La Liga team and returned home shortly after he was told by the club management that he should try another profession as he was not good enough for football.

He later joined Valladolid in 1987 with a regenerated mindset and was impressed greatly.

He played 58 matches for the club between two seasons and scored three goals before joining Real Madrid in 1989.

In his first season with Real Madrid, Fernando scored seven goals in 37 appearances.

He won the La Liga with Real Madrid from 1989 to 1990, 1994 to 1997, and 2000-2003.

He won the Supercopa de Espana with the club in 1990, 1993, 1997, and 2001.

 

From 1992 to 1993 he won the Copa del Rey and in 1994, won the Copa Iberoamericana.

Fernando won the UEFA Champions League with the club from 1997 to 2002 and the UEFA Super Cup in 2002.

He also won the Intercontinental Cup with the club in 1998 and 2002.

Throughout his 14-year-career with the club, Fernando played 439 matches and scored 102 goals before being released from the club in 2003. 

Fernando is widely considered as Real Madrid’s best defender in history and is the highest-scoring defender in the club history.

Sergio Ramos takes the number one spot on my best Real Madrid defenders of all time list.

best real madrid defenders of all time

There is barely any defender in the history of Real Madrid that has spent more time with the club than Sergio Ramos, and only very few can share the same spot as him.

Born March 30, 1986, the center-back maestro is considered by many as one of the top defenders in the world.

He is the only defender on this list to have won the UEFA Champions League three times in a row and has been a major force with real Madrid.

Ramos joined Real Madrid in 2005 and spent seasons with the club while captaining the team for six seasons. 

 

He won the five La Liga titles, two Copa Del Rey, four Champions League, Three UEFA super Cup, four Supercopa de Espana, three UEFA Super Cup, and Four FIFA Club World Cups. 

Ramos, with his time in Real Madrid, was an asset for the club, both defensive and offensively.

His aggressive style of play, forward runs, aerial dominance, and pinpoint made him a standout center back in all of Europe.

However, with his aggression are some negatives, as Sergio holds some noteworthy disciplinary records.

He is the most carded player in La Liga history, with 171 yellow cards and 21 red cards.

Ramos also holds the record of most carded player and joint record for red cards with 40 yellow cards and 4 red cards in the champions league.

Not one to disappoint, Ramos also holds the record for cards in the Spanish national team with 24 yellow cards.

Ramos left Real Madrid at the end of the 2020/2021 season due to a clash on contract length agreement with Real Madrid President.

You disagree with Ramos topping my best Real Madrid defenders of all time list? Have your say in the comment box.