Top 6 Best Spain Soccer Players of All Time
Throughout the history of Spanish soccer, there have been some incredibly talented individuals. While Spain has only been able to manage one World Cup victory (2010) throughout their rich history, their players have still been some of the best in the world. Below, the six best Spanish soccer players are ranked and discussed.
Who are the best Spanish soccer players ever?
- Xavi Hernandez
- Andres Iniesta
- David Villa
- Iker Casillas
- Sergio Ramos
- Raul Gonzalez
1. Xavi Hernandez
- 78 goals with 140 career assists
- Won 8 La Liga titles
- Won 4 Champions League titles
Arguably one of the best midfielders in soccer history, Xavi Hernandez also makes a strong case for the greatest Spanish soccer player of all-time. Known popularly as just Xavi, he played his entire club career (1997-2015) with the Spanish team FC Barcelona. Between club and country, Xavi scored a total 78 goals and dished out 140 assists. With Barcelona, he helped lead the club to eight La Liga titles (1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009-2011, 2013, and 2015) and four Champions League trophies (2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015). With Spain, he was an integral part of the country’s lone World Cup win in 2010, starting all seven matches and dishing out one assist.
2. Andres Iniesta
- 81 career goals with 126 assists
- 9 La Liga titles won
- 4 Champions League titles won
Xavi’s teammate for many years with both FC Barcelona and Spain, Andres Iniesta is also one of Spain’s all-time greats. Iniesta played with Barcelona from 2002-2018 before joining Japanese club Vissel Kobe for the last five seasons. Throughout his career, Iniesta has scored 81 career goals to go along with 126 assists between club and country. With Barcelona, he was also a part of nine La Liga titles (2005, 2006, 2009-2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2018) in addition to four Champions League titles (2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015). At the 2010 World Cup, he scored one goal and played in six matches in helping Spain to the title.
3. David Villa
- 382 goals scored with 90 assists
- 3 La Liga titles
- 2011 Champions League Winner
Playing for eight clubs throughout his career, David Villa is one of the best strikers to come out of Spain. These clubs included Sporting Gijon (2001-2003), Zaragoza (2003-2005), Valencia (2005-2010), Barcelona (2011-2013), Atletico Madrid (2013-2014), Melbourne City (2014-15), NYCFC (2015-2018), and lastly Vissel Kobe (2019). During that time, he managed three league titles (2011, 2013, and 2014) and one Champions League victory with FC Barcelona in 2011. Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all-time, Villa had 382 career goals to go along with 90 assists. 43 of those goals came while playing for Spain, including a team-leading five during their run to the World Cup in 2010.
4. Iker Casillas
- 2,413 career saves for club
- 347 cleans sheets for club and country
- 6 La Liga titles won
The first and only goalkeeper to make this list, Iker Casillas was in goal when Spain won the World Cup in 2010. As for club teams, Casillas played for Real Madrid in Spain from 1999-2015 before finishing up his career with Portuguese team FC Porto from 2015-2019. Throughout those twenty seasons, Casillas led his team to six league titles (2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2018) and three Champions League titles (2000, 2002, and 2014). As for his numbers, he had 347 clean sheets between club and country and made 2,413 career saves for Madrid and Porto combined. At the 2010 World Cup, Casillas had five clean sheets in seven matches.
5. Sergio Ramos
- 121 goals with 37 assists
- 6 La Liga titles
- 4 Champions Leagues
One of the best goal-scoring defenders in soccer history, Sergio Ramos comes in at number five on this list. He began his career with Sevilla for two seasons (2003-2005) before moving over to Real Madrid for the majority of his career (2005-2021). For the past few seasons, he has played for French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Overall, Ramos has helped his squads to six league titles (2007, 2008, 2012, 2017, and 2022) and four Champions League victories (2014, 2016-2018). Despite playing defense his whole career, Ramos has managed a remarkable 121 goals and 37 assists between club and country. He also started all seven matches for Spain at the 2010 World Cup and helped the team to five clean sheets in seven matches.
6. Raul Gonzalez
- 350 career goals and 84 career assists
- 7 La Liga titles won
- 3 Champions League victories
Though he was not a member of the 2010 World Cup team, Raul Gonzalez was a powerhouse on the pitch and one of Spain’s greatest forwards. Raul began his career playing for Real Madrid from 1994-2010 before playing two seasons for Schalke 04 in Germany from 2010-2012. After retiring for a few years, he came back and played one season for the New York Cosmos in 2015 before retiring for good. During this varied career, Raul was a part of seven league title winners (1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2015) and three Champions League winning teams (1998, 2000, and 2002). As for his numbers, he scored 350 career goals and had 84 assists between Spain and his several club teams.
Honorable Mentions
While these ten players did not quite make the top six, they still deserve some recognition as honorable mentions. They are listed below in alphabetical order by last name.
- Xabi Alonso
- Sergio Busquets
- Cesc Fabregas
- Fernando Hierro
- Luis Suarez Miramontes
- Carlos Puyol
- David Silva
- Fernando Torres
- Telmo Zarra
- Andoni Zubizarreta
FAQ
Who is the best men’s soccer player from Spain?
Xavi Hernandez is arguably the all-time best men’s soccer player from Spain. His statistics combined with his general impact on winning teams earns him the number one spot on this list. Throughout his career, he had 78 career goals, 140 career assists, won eight league titles, won four champions league titles, and helped lead Spain to their lone World Cup victory in 2010.
Who is the best goalie from Spain?
One of the best players in Spanish soccer history regardless of position, Iker Casillas certainly takes the title as best goalkeeper ever for Spain. He made over 2,000 saves in his club career and had a remarkable 347 career clean sheets between club and country. Moreover, he came up big when it mattered the most, recording five clean sheets and six wins in seven matches in helping Spain to the World Cup title in 2010.
Who is the best women’s soccer player from Spain?
There have been many incredible Spanish female soccer players over the years, but Alexia Putellas stands out amongst the rest. Overall, between club and country, she has scored 109 goals and registered 40 assists. Additionally, she has won two women’s Ballon d’Or awards since the award was started in 2018, the only woman to do so. The award is given out to the best footballer in the world at the end of each year.