Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible numbers in La Liga mean the efforts of many Spanish nationals are not as widely recognised as they probably should be.

However, the Southern European country is home to some of history's most dangerous marksmen, with many even plying their trade outside of their home country in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Eredivisie and beyond!

In this article, we will be looking at the ten highest-scoring Spaniards in the history of Europe's top five leagues. Just to highlight how incredible this list actually is, Alvaro Morata, Fernando Hierro, Fernando Morientes and former Manchester City great David Silva don't even get a sniff at the top 10!

Here is the list of the top ten Spanish goalscorers of all time in Europe's top 5 leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga.


Who are the Top 10 Spanish goalscorers ever?

10) Juan Arza - 182 goals

Juan Arza at Sevilla FC

Image Copyright: sevillafc.es

Spain's neutrality during World War II means several players from that era feature on this list. The first is Juan Arza, who became a Sevilla hero after moving there from Deportivo Alavés.

The forward netted a hat-trick on his debut and scored 57 goals in his first four seasons. His 14 strikes during the 1945-46 campaign helped the 'Rojiblancos' win the league title, the first in the club's history, while his first and only 'Pichichi' (Golden Boot) trophy came in 1954-55, when he found the back of the net 29 times, making him one of the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time.

'El Niño de Oro' (The Golden Boy) retired in 1960 and stepped into the manager's role at Sevilla, albeit on an interim basis, on four separate occasions before passing away in 2011.


9) David Villa – 185 goals

David Villa at a press conference

Spain's player David Villa attends a news conference in Potchefstroom June 14, 2010 . REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: SPORT SOCCER WORLD CUP)

David Villa is one of the very best Spanish strikers of the 20th century. The 40-year-old won three La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, and a Champions League during his career, while also finding the back of the net 185 times in Spain's top flight.

He first impressed at Real Zaragoza, where he netted 32 in 73 league outings before moving on to Valencia. 107 goals in 166 matches followed before Barcelona swooped as they looked to replace Samuel Eto'o.

While Villa wasn't quite as prolific as the Cameroon star, he scored 33 times in 77 La Liga fixtures before ending his time in Spain with one 13-goal season at Atlético Madrid. Surprisingly, he never topped the goalscoring charts in a single campaign, although Messi and Ronaldo's presence throughout his career made that a complicated task. Despite this, he still ranks among the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time across the biggest leagues in Europe.


8) Santillana – 186 goals

Santillana image via Real Madrid

Image Copyright: Real Madrid

Given the nickname 'Santillana' due to his place of birth, the striker spent 17 years at Real Madrid after a single season at Racing Santander, ending up with 289 goals for 'Los Merengues' by the time he retired in 1988.

One hundred eighty-six of those came in the league, with him scoring at least ten goals in ten separate league campaigns. He won nine titles during his time at the Santiago Bernabéu, although he never could get his hands on the 'Pichichi'.

A few more inches in height – he stood at just five foot ten – may have allowed him to score a few more, given his fantastic heading ability, but he still had a stellar career that is sometimes overlooked amongst the pantheon of Real greats.

Even though he had what some would consider a less-than-ideal height, his abilities meant that he ranks among the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time.


7) Fernando Torres – 188 goals

Fernando Torres at World Cup 2010

Spain's Fernando Torres (R) reacts during a 2010 World Cup Group H match against Switzerland at Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban June 16, 2010. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: SPORT SOCCER WORLD CUP)

Considering how Fernando Torres' performances declined following his move from Liverpool to Chelsea in 2011, it is easy to forget just how lethal the Spaniard was during the first half of his career.

Before the age of 20, he was already an icon at Atlético Madrid, taking the captain's armband at just 19 years of age.

He scored 75 in 174 La Liga appearances before moving to Anfield in 2007 and immediately adapted to English football. Only Cristiano Ronaldo stopped Torres from winning the Premier League's Golden Boot in his maiden season, as he scored 24 times in 33 games, and he soon became the quickest player to reach 50 league goals for Liverpool.

Unfortunately, injuries took their toll, and by the time he moved to Stamford Bridge, 'El Niño's' best days were behind him. He scored a further 47 goals in the top five leagues, but those strikes came across nine seasons. Despite his drop-off, his haul was still good enough to see him come in at number seven on this list of the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time.


6) Edmundo Suárez – 195 goals

Edmundo Suarez striking at goal

Image via Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/valencia-9-real-mercia-3-in-jan-1945-at-the-mestalla-stadi-edmundo-suarez-has-a-half-chance-to-score-in-this-la-liga-match--132363676532892729/

Another La Liga talisman during the Second World War, Suárez is a Valencia legend, spending his whole career with 'Los Che' bar a single season with CD Alcoyano. 

Thanks to 186 league goals in just 210 matches, Suárez is Valencia's highest-ever goalscorer and even won the Spanish top division's Golden Boot twice.

His time at the club coincided with their most successful period in terms of trophies – they won three of their six league titles during the forward's 11 years at the club.

A prolific club record and sensational personal haul puts Edmundo in the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time.


5) Pahiño – 210 goals

pahino real madrid classic

via Panenka org

Pahiño spent just 11 years in La Liga, considerably less than some players on this list, but that did not stop him from breaking into the top five.

That is down to his clinical touch in front of goal – bar his maiden season at Celta Vigo, he never found the back of the net in the top flight fewer than 14 times across spells with Celta, Real Madrid and Deportivo de La Coruña.

He scored at least 20 goals on five occasions and topped the goalscoring charts twice, propping him to fifth in this list of the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time.

Incredibly, he never got his hands on a single piece of collective silverware and was eventually replaced in Madrid by the legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano – the Argentinian would make almost any player's feats look unremarkable in comparison. 


4) Quini – 219 goals

Quini playing for Barcelona

Copyright: https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/card/648096/enrique-castro-quini

Despite being one of the greatest goalscorers in Spanish football history, Quini spent most of his career with Sporting de Gijón, where he never finished higher than third in the La Liga table.

Thirty-four of his top-flight goals for the club came in the two campaigns in which they were relegated, and he won the 'Pichichi' three times with Gijón before making the switch to Barcelona.

He topped the goalscoring charts in the division in his first two seasons at Barcelona before ultimately dropping off and returning to Sporting for his final three campaigns.

Two hundred and nineteen strikes is a fantastic tally, considering he played for one of Spain's relative minnows, and means that Quini takes fourth in the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time across Europe's top 5 leagues.


3) César Rodríguez – 221 goals

Cesar Rodriguez celebrating a win for Barcelona

Image Copyright: https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/card/648274/cesar-rodriguez

César Rodríguez comes in at number three on this list, largely thanks to a successful 13-year stint at Barcelona. There, he netted 190 times in 287 La Liga games, winning the 'Pichichi' during the 1948-49 campaign after plundering 28 goals.

The forward's two other top-flight seasons came with Granada and Elche, where he netted 23 and five goals respectively at opposite ends of his career.

His strikes helped Barcelona win five league titles, and he formed part of the legendary forward line for the Catalan outfit that included Hungarian great László Kubala.

A club legend that for good reason lands a spot at third in the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time.


2) Telmo Zarra – 251 goals

Telmo Zarra heading a football

Image via: https://thesefootballtimes.co/2016/08/30/telmo-zarra-the-man-before-messi/

Athletic Bilbao are Spain's third-most successful outfit, winning 35 trophies, and six of those came during the 15 years Zarra was on the books in the Basque country.

All but three of his seasons came in Spain's top flight, where he scored 251 goals in just 278 games, a league record that stood until Lionel Messi went past it just under 60 years later.

After regularly dominating defences, he finished top goalscorer in the league six times, although Bilbao won just one title.

Zarra may have scored even more goals had he not suffered some severe injuries, while he even shortly joined the Spanish army during the 1941-42 season. Despite that, getting second on the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time is an incredible feat.


1) Raúl – 256 goals

Raul of Real Madrid celebrating scoring a goal

Real Madrid's captain Raul celebrates after scoring against Sporting Gijon during their Spanish first division soccer match at El Molinon stadium in Gijon February 15, 2009. Raul became the all time top scorer of the club with 308 goals with the goal. REUTERS/Eloy Alonso (SPAIN)

Just pipping Zarra to the post is Raúl, only one of two players on this list to also play in Germany, England, Italy or France. The 44-year-old is a Real Madrid legend, but it could have been all so different – he spent two years in Atlético's youth system before joining their city rivals at the age of 15.

A large portion of Raul's career came during the period of the 'Galácticos'. However, despite the signings of star forwards such as Ronaldo and Luis Figo, the Spaniard remained a constant presence in the starting XI. His record of 228 La Liga goals for Real was a club record until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed it.

The striker departed the Spanish capital in 2010 for Schalke 04. In Gelsenkirchen, he scored 28 times in 66 Bundesliga outings, taking his career total in the top five leagues to 256, five more than Zarra.

Raul's longevity gave him ample time to find the back of the net – he is just one of 39 players to play at least 1,000 official matches, and is one of the primary reasons that he ranks first on the top 10 Spanish goalscorers of all time list across the top 5 European leagues.


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