Sergio Ramos could probably have cracked professional football as a striker.

The Real Madrid skipper will rightfully go down as one of the greatest defenders of the modern era, but Ramos has provided plenty of evidence to suggest he could also do a brilliant job up front.

Besides, we're not just talking about headers from corners when it comes to Ramos' goal-scoring, the Spaniard seems to have a bit of everything and the statistics don't lie.

Just four days ago, Ramos astonishingly equalled a La Liga record held by Lionel Messi, joining him as the only player to score in 16 successive seasons with his penalty against Leganes.

Not only that, but it also elevated the 33-year-old's career tally to 110 goals, consolidating him as one of the most prolific defenders in football history.

Highest scoring defenders

And consulting statistics drawn up earlier in the year by talkSPORT, it can be discerned that Ramos finds himself ninth on the all-time list and only a select few can lay claim to more than 110 strikes.

Check out the full list of preposterously prolific defenders that Ramos will be hoping to catch down below:

8. Roberto Carlos - 113 goals

Of course this man is on the list. Carlos, whose left foot was basically a lethal weapon, scored 67 goals for Real Madrid alone and wracked up plenty of free-kick strikes elsewhere.

7. Paul Breitner - 113 goals

One of only four players to score in two World Cup finals, the legendary German even scored 18 goals in one season during the back end of his career at Bayern Munich.

6. Steve Bruce - 113 goals

Bruce!?! That's right, the former Manchester United man loved a goal and astonishingly scored 19 goals in all competitions during the 1990-91 campaign.

5. Graham Alexander - 130 goals

Despite never getting on the scoresheet for Scotland, the journeyman right-back regularly scored at every level of English football and was absolutely deadly from the penalty spot.

4. Laurent Blanc - 153 goals

Want a statistic to blow your mind? The World Cup-winning centre back is Montpellier's all-time leading goal scorer. Seriously.

3. Fernando Hierro - 163 goals

When Hierro wasn't keeping Europe and Spain's strongest attacks at bay, the legendary centre-back was smashing in the goals and he even notched 26 strikes(!?) during the 1991-92 season.

2. Daniel Passarella - 175 goals

In a world where Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona didn't exist, Passarella would probably be Argentina's greatest ever player and he nearly struck 200 goals despite standing at 5ft 8in.

1. Ronald Koeman - 253 goals

The iconic Dutchman, who had a phenomenal free-kick in his locker, reached double figures in an incomparable 13 seasons. And as for Hierro's 26 goals in a campaign? Koeman did that too.

Sorry Sergio, but you probably won't be claiming top spot before your retirement.

We fully expect Ramos to climb the rankings in the seasons to come, but Koeman is head and shoulders above the rest with a record that plenty of strikers would be proud of.

Make no mistake, though, the above statistics are just further evidence that Ramos is one of the greatest players we've seen this decade, whether you like it or not.