La Liga is one of the most popular football leagues in the world. Though the Premier League has marched ahead in terms of sheer excitement, La Liga is still regarded as home to the most technically proficient players on the planet.
Real Madrid andBarcelonaare two of the most successful football clubs in the history of the sport. They continue to produce and feature some of the greatest players to play the game. The fact that La Liga teams have won the Champions League on 10 occasions in the 21st century is a testament to their dominance.
Even today, La Liga clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona continue to be dream destinations for football players across the globe. We have seen both clubs field some of the strongest teams in the history of the game. They have consistently been replete with some of the greatest players of all time.
Even though ranking the greatest players in La Liga history is quite a daunting task, weve decided to give it a shot. Lets dive right into it.
Xavi Hernandezepitomizes the sort of technical ability that has made Spanish players stand out from the rest of the crowd. A product of the famedLa Masia,Xavi was the architect in chief behind Barcelonas success in the 21st century.
Xavi was a central midfielder who could do everything he was required to do with grace and elan. He has won every major trophy that is to be won with both club and country and will go down in history as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
The Spaniard was so skilled on the ball that during Barcelonas peak tiki-taka years, he and his teammates would run rings around the opposition and pass the ball around them like they didnt exist.
Manchester Uniteds legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson has lost two Champions League finals to a dominant Barcelona side. Subsequently, he said:
In his 17-year career with Barcelona, Xavi won eight La Liga titles, three Copa Del Reys, and four Champions League trophies. In the 2008-09 season, which was arguably the best phase of his career, Xavi registered a whopping 20 assists in La Liga.
The diminutive midfielders vision and passing range is the stuff new players ought to study and try to emulate. Xavi is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in La Liga history.
Xavi vs Villarreal (2008/09) (A)On a cold and rainy day away from home on a small pitch, Xavi managed to put on a MOTM performance and completely dominate the midfield without any m/Fe2lPtM8si
Outrageous technical ability combined with tactical intelligence and a cool head. That isAndres Iniesta. The pair of Xavi and Iniesta is arguably the best central midfield duo in the history of the game.
Following the fall of big stars likeRonaldinhoandDeco, Barcelona needed new players to step up. They got a lot more than they bargained for with Iniesta. The Spaniard was crucial to Spains and Barcelonas dominance in the 21st century.
Iniesta was a joy to watch on the football field. He could navigate cul-de-sacs with the grace of a gazelle and upend entire defences with his ability to play incisive passes. He also had a penchant for stepping it up on the big stage. Iniesta famously scored Spains extra-time winner in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
By the time he called it a day on his Barcelona career, Iniesta had won nine La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, six Copa Del Reys, six Supercopa de Espanas. Fans and critics still feel that Iniesta was robbed off the Ballon dOr in 2010 which eventually went to his teammate Lionel Messi. Iniesta came second.
Alfredo Di Stefano is the player that helpedReal Madridestablish themselves as the ultimate powerhouse in world football. Following one of the most controversial transfer sagas in the history of the game, Barcelona let go of the opportunity to sign him. But it was a decision which would come back to haunt them.
Di Stefano went on to score 216 goals in 282 league matches for Real Madrid. He also scored in five consecutive European Cup finals forLos Blancos,a feat still unsurpassed. He is one of the most skilful, tactically versatile and technically astute strikers in the history of the game.
Di Stefano won the Ballon dOr twice in 1957 and 1959. He won eightLa Ligatitles, five European Cups and one Intercontinental cup with Real Madrid.
Had Cristiano Ronaldo stayed on at Real Madrid, he could have perhaps even topped the list. A serial winner and record breaker, Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest football players of all time.
We are blessed to have watched the timeless Ronaldo-Messi rivalry unfold in its full glory. Both players made each other better as they went neck-to-neck for all available records and trophies available while playing for arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Ronaldo has scored a total of 450 goals in 438 appearances for Real Madrid since joining from Manchester United in 2009 for a then record 80 million deal. Ronaldo won four Ballons dOr at Real Madrid and finished as the runner-up on five occasions.
He won fourChampions Leaguetitles, two La Liga titles and twoCopa Del Reyswith Real Madrid. But Ronaldo was far more influential than even that incredible trophy haul would have you believe.
His blistering pace and trickery helped Real Madrid play some of the best football their fans have ever witnessed. He transformed Los Blancos into one of the most dominant forces in the history of the Champions League.
Ronaldos talent on the ball, ability to adapt, evolve and sustain his levels for almost a decade make him one of the greatest players in the history of the Spanish top-flight.
