5 of the Best Moments of Hugo Sánchez's Career

Hugo Sanchez is number 48 in 90min's Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time series. 

Real Madrid have had more legendary players than you can shake a stick at, but one that always finds himself near the top of the pile is striker Hugo Sánchez.

The diminutive Mexican fired his way into Real's record books by scoring 208 goals in 282 appearances, lifting five consecutive La Liga titles in the process.

Unsurprisingly, a record like that brought about some incredible moments, and here are five of the best from Sánchez's career.

His Chilena vs. Atlante

One of the biggest rivalries in Sánchez's career came against former goalkeeper Ricardo La Volpe, and a lot of that came from the fact that Sánchez embarrassed him by scoring a stunning overhead kick (which became known as a 'Chilena') back in 1979.

The Mexican was towards the edge of the penalty area when the ball came towards him, but he somehow managed to contort his body and fire home a stunning bicycle kick which flew past La Volpe with terrifying speed.

Acrobatic finishes became a core part of Sánchez's career, but there was one which was better. Read on.

Winning His First Pichichi with Atlético Madrid

Having been prolific in Mexico, Sánchez initially struggled to bring his best form to Spain with ​Atlético Madrid. Fortunately, he proved all his doubters wrong in the 1984/85 campaign.

He fired home 19 goals in the league to finish as ​La Liga's top scorer, earning himself his first Pichichi (top scorer) award of his career. Spoiler alert, it wasn't his last.

That form earned him a move to ​Real, and he never looked back.

His Chilena vs. Logroñés

Ask fans for their favourite goal of Sánchez's career, and most will suggest his acrobatic stunner against Logroñés in 1988.

Jumping up to the heavens. Sánchez somehow connected with a phenomenal overhead kick which rocketed into the top corner. It was picture perfect. It was everything a bicycle kick should be.

Some wanted the game to be stopped just so everyone could fully acknowledge what they had just seen. It was that good.

Lifting His Fourth Consecutive Pichichi

Finishing as the league's top scorer once was good. Doing it twice was better. Three times? Even better. But how about four?

Sánchez was the top scorer in Spain's top flight for four consecutive years between 1984 and 1988 - no other man has ever managed such feat without finishing as a joint-winner in one season.

He was shattering records everywhere he looked, but the best was yet to come.

Tying Telmo Zarra's Season Record

The fact that Telmo Zarra scored 38 goals in just one season back in 1950/51 was ludicrous, but the fact that Sánchez managed to tie that record in the 1989/90 season was even crazier.

To make it all even more mental, each of those 38 goals was scored with just one touch, because Sánchez was just that good. He didn't need to control the ball, he could do whatever he wanted with just one kick.

Unsurprisingly, that effort won Sánchez his fifth top-scorer award and earned him the nickname 'The Pentapichichi'.

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90min's 'Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time' can be found here. 

Number 50:  Luka Modric
Number 49: John Charles