Keeping it Real: Five of Real Madrid’s greatest achievements
Not everybody loves Real Madrid. But whether you’re a diehard Madridista, or Los Blancos leave you feeling lousy, there’s no getting around it; the club are one of the most successful footballing dynasties on the planet.
Hankering for some hard facts about one of the world’s most renowned teams? We’ve got you covered, amigo…
Most European Cup / Champions Leagues titles
Real Madrid have won this competition more times than any other club, with 13 triumphs; nearest rival AC Milan has won it seven times, with domestic rivals Barca winning the competition on a comparatively modest five occasions.
Real won the competition for the first time in 1956 – the inaugural European Cup, beating French side Stade de Reims 4-3 at Paris’ Parc des Princes Stadium. And in fact, the club would win the first five European Cups between 1956 and 1960.
More recently, Real have won the competition four times in the last six years, with three consecutive wins between 2016-18.
Voted the greatest club of the 20th century by FIFA
If Real’s success in the Champions League is already leaving you a mite jealous, this next one might send you over the edge.
Yes, at a glitzy ceremony in Rome, the club were voted the greatest of the 20th century by FIFA, who presented the award to Real president Florentino Perez and legendary player Alfredo Di Stefano on 11 December 2000. Real won with over 42% of the votes.
Ronaldo – penalty kick king
This next one is a slightly less bombastic accolade, even if modesty is not a quality often associated with the holder of this record. During Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Real Madrid, the Portuguese player became the most successful penalty taker in La Liga history, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Ronaldo managed this feat by taking 72 penalties in La Liga over his nine years in Spain – scoring 61 of them. Which, you know, is pretty good, although we’d feel remiss if we didn’t point out that Matt Le Tissier scored 48 penalties in 49 attempts with Southampton…
Longest ever unbeaten home run
In a record that is unlikely ever to be beaten in top level football, between 1957 and 1965, Real enjoyed the longest ever unbeaten league home run in European club history, winning an astonishing 121 consecutive games at the Bernabeu.
Most players to win the Ballon d’Or
Seven players have won the Ballon d’Or while turning out for Real Madrid, more than any other club. The tally is:
Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain – 1957, 1959)
Raymond Kopa (France – 1958)
Luis Figo (Portugal – 2000)
Ronaldo (Brazil – 2002)
Fabio Cannavaro (Italy – 2006)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal – 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
Luka Modric (Croatia – 2018)
Interestingly, although more Real players have won this award than at any other club, Barcelona players still have more overall Ballon d’Or wins – 12 for the Catalan club, against Real’s 11.
Barcelona edge it in sheer numbers, essentially because of Leo Messi, who has won the accolade an astonishing six times. Funny how, even in a piece about how great Real Madrid are, we still end up talking about Messi’s magnificence…
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