La Liga’s all-time top 10 goalscorers: Messi, Ronaldo, Di Stefano…

Focusing on Spain’s top flight, La Liga, it has been dominated in the 2000s by two men: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, there is a long history that preceded the duo.

Just four of the top 10 scorers in the competition’s history came in the 2000s, and three of the 10 came before the 1970s, which further shows the rich tapestry of the league. Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann needs just 15 goals to enter the top 10, but for now, it is a list dominated by the distant past.

Having reviewed the top scorers of other countries, such as the Premier League, we’ve decided to look at the top 10 scorers across La Liga’s long lifespan, which began back in 1929, and there is definitely more of a historical feel to this list than the Premier League, for example. .

10. Pahino – 212

Pahino’s 212 goals came in just 278 games, meaning only four players in the top 20 scorers list have a better goal-to-game ratio than the Spaniard who netted regularly for Celta Vigo, Real Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna.

His prime was between 1943 and 1956, and while he failed to win any team trophies, despite his quality, he was a two-time winner of the Golden Boot. Blessed with talent in both feet, a natural eye for goal and a strong heading ability, Pahino is a Spanish legend.

9. Quini – 219

A Sporting Gijon legend, Quini won five Golden Boots in his prime in La Liga, managing 219 goals in 448 games between 1968 and 1987. He won an additional two more top scorer in the Second Division with Gijon as he helped to win promotion with his favoured club on two occasions.

He scored in big finals, dragged sides to successes and netted an incredible amount of goals at a time when Spanish was not thriving on the international stage. Having represented Spain at two World Cups, his international record fell short of his true quality with just eight goals in 35 games for his country. However, he remains a Spanish legend ,regardless.

8. Cesar – 221

Featuring between 1940 and 1960 in Spain, Cesar is a club legend for his goal-scoring exploits at Barcelona, netting 190 of his 221 goals at the Nou Camp. This made him the club’s highest scorer in La Liga for decades before Messi came and shattered those numbers.

He won five league titles, 13 major trophies and was a one-time Golden Boot winner. His goals helped his side win five trophies in the 1951-52 campaign and he remains one of the best Spanish goalscorers of all time.

7. Alfredo Di Stefano – 227

One of the all-time great names in Madrid’s rich history, Alfredo Di Stefano, scored the majority of his 227 goals in 329 games at Real Madrid, but he also briefly featured for Espanyol in the final knocking of his career. It was in Madrid that he established himself as one of the best of his generation and one of the best of the century after picking up two Ballon d’Or awards.

A five-time winner of the Golden Boot, he was there at the inauguration of the European Cup in 1955 and then proceeded to win the next four in a row to stamp his mark on the competition and become one of the greatest players in European Cup history. He also netted in all five finals and managed a hat trick in the 1960 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and went onto record over 300 goals for the club in total.

6. Raul – 228

Revered as one of the best goalscorers of his era, Raul made over 1000 appearances in his career and totalled over 400 goals for club and country – with 228 coming in 550 league games between 1994 and 2010. He also managed six league titles and set the record for Madrid as their record appearance maker with 741 games.

At one point in his career, he simultaneously held the record for being the all-time top scorer for Madrid and the Spain national team as well as having the goals in the UEFA Champions League. Simply put, he was a legendary figure for his consistency, ability to score all types of goals against any opponent and a highly-decorated player with the stats to match. 

READ: 5 legendary footballers we can’t believe never commanded a transfer fee: Messi, Raul…

5. Hugo Sanchez – 234

The Colombian legend played for both Madrid clubs and enjoyed strong records in La Liga in the 1980s and early 1990s. With 234 goals in 347 games, he forged his name into the history books and is widely regarded as the best Mexican player of all time.

On five occasions, he was the Golden Boot winner and was inducted into the La Liga Team of the Year, and he remains Real Madrid’s seventh highest scorer of all time and won 10 trophies at the club and one Copa del Rey at Atletico.

4. Karim Benzema – 238

One of the most underrated Real Madrid players of all time, Karim Benzema, was often the supporting act in his career to the greatness of others, but after his incredible Ballon d’Or-winning campaign in 2022, he has received more justified praise.

No doubt a Madrid and La Liga great, his record is incredible, and his 238 goals in 439 games show his consistent quality. With 24 trophies won at Madrid, he was part of a success-filled era and he was voted in the La Liga Team of the Season on five occasions as well as being Madrid’s Player of the Season four times.

His link-up play, ability to score with either foot, and ability to manage pressure and the big occasions all made him one of the best in world football, and his career will age like a fine wine over the coming years.

READ MORE: 6 world-class Real Madrid icons who bounced back from a slow start

3. Telmo Zarra – 251

Boasting the joint-second best goals-to-game ratio alongside Messi, Telmo Zarra was a legend for Athletic Bilbao in the 1940s and 50s, netting 251 goals in 277 games across 15 years at the club – and he remains their all-time club top scorer with 335 goals.

A six-time Golden Boot winner, his goal-scoring feats lasted for nearly six decades before Messi came along, and his 81 goals in the Copa del Rey remain a competition record. Those goals fired him to five cups and one league title, and his legacy is that of a goal-scoring legend.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 311

While Cristiano Ronaldo falls short of his great rival in these scoring charts, he has the edge overall with more career goals to his name. Plus, in La Liga matches, he has played significantly fewer games with his 311 goals coming in 292 games – ensuring his ratio of 1.07 tops the list.

Both are considered to be the best players of all time, and watching them go toe-to-toe in Spain over their prime years was one of the most scintillating and brilliant sporting rivalries there has ever been. Ronaldo also managed to win the La Liga top scorer award on three occasions.

1. Lionel Messi – 474

Many people pick for being the greatest player of all time. Lionel Messi’s career is richly layered with achievements that only by stepping back and analysing it in it’s entirety can we truly appreciate his greatness. He was an eight-time top scorer in La Liga, and his 474 goals came in 520 appearances, with all of his goals coming for Barcelona.

His goals spanned 17 years in Spain, and his ratio of 0.91 is joint-second behind Ronaldo. A 10-time league champion, he also picked up La Liga’s Best Player award on nine occasions and his combination of incredible playmaking and incisive finishing made him the ultimate attacker during his time in La Liga.

READ MORE: The crazy La Liga table since Lionel Messi left Barcelona in 2021

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