90min's Definitive A to Z of Real Madrid

FIFA may have struggled to choose the best player of the 20th Century, but there would have been no such indecision when it came to the best club, it could only ever be Real Madrid. 

Six La Liga titles and as many Champions Leagues in the following 20 years has done nothing to harm their bid to be crowned the best club of the next 100 years too. 

So, as arguably the greatest club since 1900, let's take a look at the letters which define this historic institution. 

A is for Alfredo Di Stéfano

Former Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón often regales guests with the apocryphal anecdote of a father and son walking past a statue of Di Stéfano. "Daddy," says the boy, "was he a player?" "No," his father says, "he was the team."

The Blonde Arrow is perhaps not rated as highly as Pelé or Diego Maradona outside of Spain given his lack of exposure at a World Cup, but according to everyone lucky enough to see him from the stands or on their screens at the time, and even his ​fellow players, Di Stéfano remains the greatest of all time. 

B is for Barcelona

Real Madrid vs Barcelona. Castilla vs Catalonia. Nation vs State. 

These two giants of La Liga have been entwined for over a century and their meetings have produced some of the greatest encounters in club football history (even if the last couple have been a bit disappointing). 

C is for Cristiano Ronaldo

Consistency is a highly valued and regularly cited commodity in modern football, but its definition is uncomfortably vague. 

​Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring record for Real Madrid, 450 goals in 438 matches, is perhaps the epitomisation of consistent. 

D is for Vicente del Bosque

As a player and manager, both for the youth and senior sides, Del Bosque enjoyed 24 trophy-laden years with Real Madrid, winning seven La Liga titles, four Copa del Rey and two Champions Leagues. 

E is Emilio Butragueño

A Madrid socio from birth, Butragueño, also known as El Buitre - the Vulture - was a lethal finisher (hence the nickname) and hit double figures for goals scored in ten consecutive seasons between 1984 and 1994 as he was the face of generational side (see 'Q'). 

F is for Ferenc Puskás

Puskás, who was given the nickname Pancho, among others, may have had a somewhat unorthodox build (when he arrived in Madrid in 1958, he was 18 kilos overweight) but the Hungarian forward was one of the deadliest finishes the game has seen. In his 39 European Cup games for Madrid he scored 35 goals, most of which cannoning off his left foot. 

Amancio Amaro, his Spanish teammate of the time neatly summed him up when he said: "Pancho was a genius."

G is for Paco Gento

Playing for a club who are so obsessed with European glory, Paco Gento's legendary status at ​Real Madrid can be cemented by his six European Cup triumphs alone - the only man in history to have collected as many, not to mention his 12 (TWELVE!) La Liga titles. 

H is for Fernando Hierro

Having amassed more than 600 appearances for Los Blancos, Hierro was the beating heart of their defence across 14 seasons. Yet, despite his role as a centre-back, the former Bolton man somehow racked up more than a century of goals for Real Madrid. 

I is for Iker Casillas

From starting his career in Madrid's youth system La Fábrica in the halcyon days of 1990, Casillas would make over 700 appearances in the white of Real Madrid as he became more than just a brilliant goalkeeper, but an ambassador for the club. 

J is for Juanito

A fearless forward of the 1980s, Juanito truly respected and adored the shirt as his passion and drive, along with ability, saw him become a lasting fan favourite. 

The beloved Juanito – who perished in a car crash in 1992 at the tragically young age of 37 – is to this day remembered whenever the clock at the Bernabéu hits seven minutes, a nod to the number he often donned.

K is for Raymond Kopa

While playing for French side Reims, ​Kopa and his side troubled Madrid as Los Blancos prevailed 4-3 in the first ever European Cup final. Having seen his talents up close, Los Merengues swiftly acquired the Frenchman's services as he claimed two La Liga titles and three European Cups in his three seasons in the capital, with his last continental prize coming at the expense of Reims (again). 

L is for Luis Figo

Having crossed the greatest divide in club football, on his return to Barcelona Figo was greeted not only with a pig's head, but bike chains, golf balls, mobile phones, rocks and a few screws too. 

The ferocity of his reception only emphasises what a loss he was to the Catalans and what a gain he was for Madrid. As the Ballon d'Or winner in the year he arrived in the capital, Figo had an incredible ability to beat a man without touching the ball, twisting his opponents' blood with his quick feet and faster mind. 

M is for Manolo Sanchís, Míchel, José 'Pirri' Martínez

Three historic figures of the club could not have been separated, but equally, could not have missed out. The trio all grace the top ten of Madrid's all-time appearance list.

N is for Ronaldo Nazário

Memories of Ronaldo in a Real Madrid shirt may be tainted by fitness issues in his later years with the club, but the Brazilian was superb upon arrival in the capital. In each of his first three seasons with Madrid, Ronaldo scored more than 20 league goals as Los Blancos claimed a La Liga title, with that hat-trick against Manchester United still one of the best trebles the ​Champions League has ever seen.

O is for Joaquín Oliva

The Spanish defender spent seven years with Los Merengues in the 1950s. In his final four seasons with the club he marshalled the defence which claimed three La Liga titles and two European Cups.

P is for Florentino Pérez

The man who concocted and set about establishing the Galáticos era of Real Madrid at the turn of the century (and again with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká in 2009) to this day remains a, albeit divisive, defining figure of the club. 

Q is for La Quinta del Buitre

La Quinta del Buitre - Vulture Squad - is a team that defined its era and dragged Real Madrid out of the darkness it had descended into at the start of the 1980s. Five players from the club's academy; Butragueño (with his nickname the source of their title), Sanchís, Rafael Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza, came together to guide the team to two UEFA Cups and five successive Spanish league titles. 

R is for Raúl 

Over the course of 16 seasons with the club, which saw him thrive alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Figo and both Ronaldos, Raúl and his lethal left foot lit up the Bernabéu on a weekly basis. As the club's leading all-time appearance-maker and second top scorer, there isn't really a Real without Raúl. 

S is for Sergio Ramos

Cards, be they red or yellow, often dominate talk of Sergio Ramos, but it shouldn't go understated how important a figure he is for the club. While he may have somewhat over-embraced the intensity of certain el clásicos in the past, Ramos is a world class defender who has provided numerous, pivotal blocks, tackles and goals during his time in white. 

T is for Trophies

Trophies are important for every club, but at Madrid, you have to win the right trophies. 

When Fabio Capello won the league in his first season (1996/97) but went out in the early rounds of the Copa del Rey he was swiftly moved on. Jupp Heynckes, the man who took his place, claimed the Champions League is debut campaign but due to a poor domestic outing (they finished fourth) he was also out the door. 

So, if you're manager of Real Madrid, best way to keep your job is just win every trophy on offer - not that unreasonable is it?

U is for UEFA Competitions

Real Madrid are a unique club, in many ways, but particularly in the way they view UEFA's European competitions. For Los Blancos, those midweek sojourns on the continent are where they belong and the 'big-eared' trophy is simply on loan from their own cabinet when any other side has the gall to win it.

This righteousness stems from the fact that they've won European club football's biggest prize a record 13 times and prevailed in the first five consecutive editions of the competition.

So, they do have a point. 

V is for Jorge Valdano

Player, coach, general manager, club philosopher, Jorge Valdano's imprint on Real Madrid has been enduring. As one of the few people associated with Los Blancos who often displays a lack of bias (even when it comes to Barcelona) Valdano has been, is and will be, a defining figure of the club. 

W is for Club World Cup

There is no other European team who bestows the same importance upon the Club World Cup as Real Madrid. Even when it was known as the Intercontinental Cup, Los Blancos took pride as the tournament's first ever victors in 1960 and have claimed the record number of wins of the latest iteration (four between 2014 and 2018). 

X is for Xabi Alonso

Unlike many entries on letter-themed lists, Xabi Alonso doesn't make it into the reckoning because his first name begins with an 'X' - although that did really help when writing this. 

The Spaniard was fundamental to provide some much-needed ballast to the top-heavy Madrid side at the turn of the last decade, and while he wasn't on the pitch for the final, his performances leading up to Madrid's eventual capturing of La Decima were fundamental. 

Y is for the Youth Team

Madrid's youth team, RM Castilla, play in the same footballing pyramid as the senior side and prior to the recent changes in the format, they also contested the Copa del Rey. In fact, back in 1980, RM Castilla met their senior counterparts in the final of the competition. 

They lost 6-1, but this goes to show that a winning mentality has permeated throughout every level of the club. 

Z is for Zinedine Zidane

One of the most elegant players to ever grace a football pitch, before he won a hat-trick of Champions Leagues as a manager, Zidane's time in the Spanish capital as a player was littered with mesmerising roulettes and first touches. It's a testament to the player he was that, as a balding 30-year-old, he even made the No. 5 shirt look cool.