FIFA World Cup countdown: Top 10 Spanish players of all time

By Liam Apicella, Features Editor and Matt Law, Football Editor

Published: June 11 2025 | 12:33

Last updated: June 11 2025 | 12:35

As part of the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Sports Mole takes a look at the top 10 players in the history of Spanish football.

With the exception of their 1964 triumph at the European Championships, Spain had been serial underachievers on the international stage.

That was until an incredible group of players took centre stage. They broke a 44-year wait for a major trophy by winning Euro 2008, before going on to lift the World Cup two years later in South Africa. For good measure, they then backed that success up by retaining their European Championship crown in 2012.

Spain were European champions again in 2024, beating England in the final, and there is no question that they will be among the favourites to enjoy success at next year's World Cup.

Qualification for the tournament which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico has not yet been secured, but it would be one of the biggest shocks of all time if they were unable to book their spot in the finals of the competition.

Spain have some of the best players in world football, and they will be looking to a certain Lamine Yamal for inspiration, with the Barcelona superstar capable of lighting up the tournament in 2026.

At the age of 17, Yamal is already one of the best players in the world, and he has the capabilities of leading his country to success at the 2026 World Cup.

One year from now, the 2026 World Cup will officially begin, and with that in mind, Sports Mole looks at the top 10 players in the history of Spanish football.

10. Fernando Hierro (1989-2002, 89 caps, 29 goals)

There have not been many more prolific defenders in the history of football than Hierro, so much so that for a while, he was Spain's leading goalscorer of all time. He found the net on 29 occasions for his country in total, the most important of which he scored during a 1994 World Cup qualifier against Denmark that saw Spain qualify for the tournament.

Like Andoni Zubizarreta, the centre-back appeared in four World Cups and two European Championships. His performances at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan were noted by FIFA, who named him in their Team of the Tournament.

The majority of his honours were won with Real Madrid, with Los Blancos lifting the La Liga trophy four times and the Champions League a further three times during his 11-year stint. When Real won the European Cup in 1998, he was voted as the competition's best defender. In his latter years, Hierro spent a season in the Premier League with Bolton Wanderers.

9. Luis Suarez (1957-1972, 32 caps, 14 goals) Decades before the Uruguayan Luis Suarez took centre stage, Luis Suarez Miramontes was shining for the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and the Spanish national side.

With Barca, the playmaker was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1960, which convinced Inter to part with a then world-record fee of £142,000 for his services a year later. In Italy, Suarez won three Serie A titles to go with the two La Liga trophies that he lifted in his homeland.

Also with Inter, he got his hands on the European Cup twice. If that wasn't enough, the 79-year-old was a key figure as Spain won the European Championships in 1964 - their first major trophy. His performances for the hosts also saw him named in the Team of the Tournament.

8. Emilio Butragueno (1984-1992, 69 caps, 26 goals)

Nicknamed 'The Vulture', Butragueno is regarded by many to be among the best centre-forwards to have worn the famous Real Madrid white shirt. He was one fifth of La Quinta del Buitre - a moniker given to the five players (Butragueno, Manolo Sanchis, Martin Vazquez, Michel and Miguel Pardeza) that helped the club to dominate Spanish football throughout the 1980s.

During his time at the Bernabeu, the striker won La Liga six times and the Copa del Rey twice, but the European Cup eluded him and the club during that time. Having said that, he was a member of the squad that won the UEFA Cup in 1985 and 1986.

For Spain, Butragueno scored 26 goals, four of which came in one World Cup encounter against Denmark in 1986. That took his tally for the tournament to five, which earned him the Silver Ball award alongside Diego Maradona.

7. David Villa (2005-2017, 98 caps, 59 goals)

Villa contributed four as Spain won Euro 2008 and then went one better with five at the 2010 World Cup. Sadly, though, a broken leg ruled him out of adding to his major tournament tally at Euro 2012.

To add to his international medals, Villa won almost everything that club football has to offer. During the early part of his career the frontman helped Real Zaragoza and Valencia to win the Copa del Rey in 2004 and 2008 respectively, before he went on to be a key component of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team that swept aside all that stood before them. Villa finished his international career with 59 goals, and he remains the country's highest-ever goalscorer.

6. Alfredo Di Stefano (1957-1961, 31 caps, 23 goals)

Di Stefano, quite rightly, was included in our list of Argentina's top 10 players of all time. Yet, the Buenos Aires-born centre-forward simply had to be included among this selection as well.

His move to Real Madrid helped him to acquire Spanish citizenship in 1956 and despite the fact that he had turned out for the Argentines on six occasions, he was granted permission to represent Spain from 1957 onwards. Unsurprisingly, Di Stefano was prolific for his adopted country, but his goals couldn't help them to qualify for the 1958 World Cup. They did reach the tournament four years later, but an injury prevented the striker from gracing football's biggest stage.

He more than made up for that, though, with Real. Thanks to his goals, Los Blancos won La Liga seven times and the European Cup on five occasions. The 87-year-old also won the Ballon d'Or twice and was Europe's top goalscorer in 1958 and 1962.

5. Raul (1996-2006, 102 caps, 44 goals)

A supporter of Atletico Madrid as a youngster and a product of their youth academy, Raul went on to become a legend with city rivals Real. He made his debut for Los Blancos at the age of 17 and his form, even at that tender age, was one of the reasons that the prolific Butragueno departed the club in 1995.

Real's record appearance holder and leading goalscorer of all time, Raul helped the club to win six La Liga crowns, and three Champions League titles. In two of those three European finals, the centre-forward found the back of the net.

He was also prolific for Spain and was their leading goalscorer until being pipped by Villa. His most clinical spell came during qualifying for Euro 2000, where he scored four goals in back-to-back fixtures against Austria and San Marino. What's more, he scored at least one goal in each of the three World Cups that he appeared in.

4. Iker Casillas (2000-2016, 167 caps, no goals)

When Spain ended their 44-year wait for a major trophy at Euro 2008, it was their captain Casillas that got his hands on the trophy first. He then skippered the team to their first ever World Cup triumph 24 months later, before they retained the European Championships.

FIFA's five-time Goalkeeper of the Year, Casillas has a bursting trophy cabinet. In 2000, he became the youngest goalkeeper to appear in a Champions League final as Madrid defeated Valencia and he was also between the posts when Los Blancos won the same competition two years on. The stopper also won La Liga five times and the Copa del Rey twice.

3. Sergio Ramos (2005-2021, 180 caps, 23 goals)

Ramos represented Spain between 2005 and 2021, ending his international career with 180 caps, scoring 23 goals in the process - incredible numbers for a defender.

The centre-back, who is still playing at the age of 39, is the most-capped player in Spain's history, moving past Casillas at the top of the list.

Ramos lifted three trophies during his time with Spain, winning the World Cup in 2010, in addition to the European Championship in both 2008 and 2012.

There is absolutely no question that Ramos will go down as one of Spain's best-ever players.

2. Andres Iniesta (2006-2018, 131 caps, 13 goals)

He may measure up at just 5'7", but no player has scored a bigger goal for Spain than Iniesta. With the 2010 World Cup final looking destined for a penalty shootout, the attack-minded midfielder powered a half-volley into the bottom corner of the Dutch net in the 116th minute to secure the trophy for his nation.

It was a contribution that saw him named in FIFA's Team of the Tournament, before his displays at Euro 2012 saw UEFA name him as their Player of the Tournament. Also, Iniesta has finished in the top four of the running for the Ballon d'Or on three occasions since 2010.

Having come from Barca's academy La Masia, it took some time for the pint-sized midfielder to nail down a place in the starting lineup. Yet, as soon as he did that, he became unmovable.

1. Xavi (2000-2014, 133 caps, 13 goals)

It was always going to take a special player to keep Iniesta off top spot and Xavi certainly falls into that bracket. Indeed, there are those that believe that without Xavi feeding him on a regular basis with pinpoint passes, Iniesta's impact would not have been as great - ditto Lionel Messi at Barca.

The midfielder was by no means a prolific scorer of goals and doesn't possess a physical presence, but, like Paul Scholes in his veteran years, is one of the best technicians to have ever played the game. For years he was viewed as Barca's heartbeat - something that he took with him into the Spain side during their success; it was impossible not to select 'The Puppet Master' as Spain's number one.