Top six foreign players with over 400 appearances for Real Madrid

Only a handful of footballers have achieved this feast

After making his 400th game for Real Madrid in their LaLiga match against Espanyol, Toni Kroos has become a Real Madrid legend. Real Madrid maintained their chances of defending their LaLiga title against the Catalan club with the German starting lineup and even contributing an assist.

Kroos is currently only the sixth foreign player in Real Madrid's history to have played 400 times for the team. The top six foreign players at Real Madrid in terms of appearances are listed below.

Toni Kroos (𝟰𝟬𝟬)

Kroos joined Real Madrid in a transfer worth €25 million and seemingly established himself. Kroos won sixteen trophies, including three LaLiga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, three of which he won consecutively from 2016 and 2018, each time being selected in the competition's team of the season.

He has been selected in the FIFPro World11 and UEFA Team of the Year three times, and the league's team of the season twice. He was voted the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker in 2014 and German Footballer of the Year in 2018, and become one of the foreigner players with most appearances at Real.

Cristiano Ronaldo (𝟰𝟯𝟴)

Few players make an immediate effect when they switch teams, but Ronaldo was crucial to Real Madrid's rise to prominence as one of the top clubs in Europe. Ronaldo was a productive player who quickly became well-known among the team. As the competition's leading scorer for six straight seasons between 2012 and 2018, he also established himself as the club's all-time leading scorer in the Champions League and was one of the foreign players with the most appearances.

Luka Modric (𝟰𝟳𝟭)

Modric transferred to Real Madrid in the summer of 2012 for a £30 million transfer fee. He played a significant role in the team's La Décima victory there. For Madrid to win three straight Champions League championships, Modric was essential.

He rose to prominence while playing for Real, and in 2016 he won the LaLiga Award for "Best Midfielder" a second time for his efforts. He established himself at Real and quickly rose to the position of one of the best foreign players.

Roberto Carlos (𝟱𝟮𝟳)

Roberto Carlos moved to Real Madrid from Inter Milan in 1996, where he played 584 games across all competitions and scored 71 goals throughout his 11 incredibly successful seasons. He rose to the position of third-most foreign player among Spanish giants in appearances.

He was included in Marca's "Best Foreign Eleven in Real Madrid's History" in April 2013. He is one of the few players with more than 1,100 club and international appearances in their professional careers. The legendary defender even had a spell in the ISL with Delhi Dynamos.

Marcelo (𝟱46)

Real Madrid paid $8 million to sign Marcelo. He continued to be a regular at Madrid and, among other accolades, has won six La Liga crowns and five UEFA Champions League titles. Marcelo earned Real Madrid's skipper in 2021, making him the first foreign captain since 1904, After Roberto Carlos, he was one of Real Madrid's top left backs. Brazilian defender Marcelo is the most decorated player in Real's 120-year history, picking up his 25th trophy against Liverpool in the Champions League final.

Karim Benzema (𝟲𝟯𝟮)

When Benzema transferred to Real Madrid in 2009 for €35 million, it set a new French record for a football transfer. Although finding it difficult to make a name for himself in his first season, he eventually established a reliable goalscoring rate with the team. From a false nine to a lone striker, Benzema changed roles. From 2018 to 2022, he received four straight selections to the LaLiga Team of the Season. He also won the LaLiga Best Player award twice and the Pichichi Trophy for the first time in 2022 and he also won the Ballon d'Or award in 2022.

He won the Ballon d'Or during his outstanding 2021–22 season, becoming the foreign player with the most Real Madrid appearances.