Scoring goals has always been exclusively reserved and prejudiced for the forward players. Strikers have always been the ‘Atlas’ who shoulder the goalscoring load. The responsibility of every other player, including centre backs, was to stop goals and make openings for the strikers.
Now, with the increasing demand for goals, the burden is not limited to strikers anymore. Inverted wingers, midfielders and other non-strikers are scoring quite their justifiable share of goals.
Centre-backs have constantly scored goals through the ages; chiefly from set-piece circumstances. They can’t be as creative owing to their position during the match. However, some have etched their name in the footballing folklore due to their goalscoring exploits.
Let us take a look at a few defenders of Real Madrid who scored for their club.
Five centre backs of Real Madrid with the highest number of goals
1. Fernando Hierro – 126 goals
Hierro was the captain of both Spain and Real Madrid during his career, earning status as one of the greatest of all Spanish footballers because of his prolific ability to score goals. As a player who excelled in the Real Madrid jersey, he was invincible.
Possessing a fantastic aerial menace at corners and an individual who was irreplaceable to Madrid, Hierro’s goal count came frequently through set-pieces. He proved himself to be a continuing threat to his opponent whenever he entered their final third.
A master of freekicks and penalties, Hierro was a genuine threat for both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.
In his fourteen years at the Bernabeu, he scored 129 goals for Los Merengues. This was much better than some strikers who appeared for the club for a prolonged period. Hierro was equally prolific for La Furia Roja where he scored 29 goals in 89 matches.
2. Sergio Ramos – 101 Goals
Ramos, Real Madrid captain, is the one and the only defender in this century to crack a hundred goals, scoring 126 goals in 890 matches.
He spent 16 years of his profession with Madrid and has begun taking their penalty kicks in the last few years.
The closest to Ramos within the rankings is René Aufhauser (79 goals in 455 games).
He began his professional career with his hometown club Sevilla as a right-back. He has always tended to go forward during matches. However, few defenders in world football proceed with the reassurance and menace that Ramos radiates.
Only four players have scored in two or more finals in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Ramos has scored in two finals; 2014 and 2016. This is a record that eminent strikers like Gerd Muller don’t have.
He has been equally efficient for the Spanish national team concerning several caps and goals; 17 in 161 games.
3. Roberto Carlos – 70 goals
Carlos is a paragon for scoring arguably the best free-kick of all times. Roberto Carlos is additionally world-renowned as one of the best-attacking full-backs of all times. He has the goalscoring record, which to date, players chase after.
As a part of the famous ‘Galacticos’ Madrid team of the first 2000s, the Brazilian scored mesmerizingly 113 times throughout his profession. Most of his goals came from dead-balls and set pieces.
Robert Carlos is the ultimate free-kick expert.
4. Marcelo – 38 goals
Marcelo, who plays as a Defence in club Real Madrid, played 15 seasons, in which he played 626 matches and scored 38 goals. Ideally, he plies his trade as a left-back but has been shoehorned into the centre on multiple occasions to plug the absence of Ramos.
Known chiefly for his offensive skills, trickery, and technical assets, Marcelo plays primarily as a left-sided aggressive full-back or wing-back and can operate as a left-winger, or maybe in midfield.
With his flair, elegance, and control on the ball, including his speed and dribbling skills, he’s often seen to beat opponents in one on one conditions with elaborate manoeuvres. His explosive pace, vigour, and wit, both on and off the ball, make him a dangerous menace on counter-attacks; He’s capable of penetrating through the opposing defences with attacking runs or moving up to the left flank into good offensive spots from which he can have the ball often, acting as an extra forward.
He is considered to be one of the greatest left-backs of all times.
5. Manolo Sanchis – 38 goals
As a central defender, Sanchís shined out for his defensive equanimity, sense of position and agility. He has set new bars within his club thanks to owing to his sporting skills and his nature. An aggressive yet fair-minded player, he was also renowned for his combat intelligence, and typically played as a sweeper.
