The best captains of Real Madrid in the 21st century

FERNANDO HIERRO

Born in Vélez-Málaga (23-3-1968). He played for Real Madrid since 1989 (signed from Real Valladolid) and remained in the team of his life until June 2003. In those 14 years played 601 matches for white, achieving no less than 127 goals (Although his career was developed as a center back and libero, in a course with Antic as coach he played as a midfielder and scored 21 goals). He won 3 Champions, 5 Leagues, 2 Intercontinental Cups and 1 Copa del Rey. Between 2000 and 2003 he was the first great captain of Madrid of the XXI century, showing an unquestionable personality and leadership. He was highly respected by the dressing room, but a discussion with the president Florentino Pérez at the Txistu restaurant in the celebration of the 29th League, in 2003, caused the club to decide not to renew his contract the next day. He has also been Real Oviedo coach and national coach at the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

RAÚL GONZÁLEZ

Born in Madrid (6-27-1977), in the Colonia de San Cristóbal de Los Ángeles. He has been one of the greatest players in the club's history, as he testifies that he continues to be the player who has defended the bench shirt the most times (741). At that time he showed his voracity against the goal by scoring 323, surpassing the 307 of a legend like Di Stéfano. Later he was surpassed by the insatiable Cristiano Ronaldo (450 goals), but Raúl is consolidated in that second place on the podium that no one seems to be able to snatch from him in a long time. He was captain since the Iron March in 2003, and remained with the bracelet until his goodbye to Madrid in 2010. He left for Schalke, but on his farewell at the Bernabéu he could not avoid the tears as he posed with his 3 Champions (scoring a goal in the final of two of them), 6 Leagues and 2 Intercontinental, being famous his ‘Aguanís goal’ against Vasco de Gamas in the 1998 final in Tokyo. Raúl was a benchmark for La Fábrica's homegrown players because of his honesty on the pitch. Now he trains Castilla and is a candidate in the future to occupy the bench at the Bernabéu.

IKER CASILLAS

Born in Móstoles (Madrid, 20-5-1981). Definitely, We are talking about the best goalkeeper in the 118-year history of the white club and one of the best in the history of football. His condition as a humble youth squad, his feeling with children and his closeness made him a national hero, both with Madrid and with Spain. As captain of La Roja he lifted the two Euro Cups in 2008 and 2010, as well as the 2010 World Cup, with a paradon to Robben included. With Madrid he won the 2002 Champions League (being the architect by validating Zidane's goal with three incredible saves in the last minutes against Bayer Leverkusen) and 2014, where his only mistake in all that edition of the European Cup, in the final against Atleti in Lisbon, penalized him until he created a division in the fans that ended a year later with his departure to Porto. His captaincy, developed between 2010 and 2015, was punctuated by disagreements with Mourinho, that condemned him to the bench generating a current of opinion that for the first time in his life put part of the fans against him. Something amazing in the second player in the history of Madrid with the most games (725).

SERGIO RAMOS

Born in Camas (Seville, 3-30-1986). He is the captain who has lifted the last three consecutive Champions League won between 2016 and 2018 with Zidane as coach. His work in the dressing room to keep it together even in situations as complicated as Cristiano's departure two seasons ago has strengthened his charisma among his teammates and among the white fans. He is seen as the great leader who led the team to believe to win League number 34, the famous one of the Coronavirus, as he himself baptized it. He has been at Madrid for three years without missing a single penalty. His strong personality has led to a hard confrontation with Florentino when facing his renovations. Now he is precisely engrossed in the last one, since next June 30 he will be free. He has already 660 games in white (the fourth in the history of the club and only 41 of the 701 of Sanchís that keep him third on the podium). To this he has added nothing less than 101 goals with the Madrid shirt, a figure never reached by a defender in this entity (Pirri scored 172 goals, but a lot of them were playing as a midfielder and even as a forward).