The La Liga top scorers - Who leads the all-time list, and who's on top among current players?
The Spanish La Liga of Liga BBVA is the most technically skillful league in the world, boasting some of the best players who have played the game. As per UEFA’s league coefficient rankings, the La Liga is the strongest league in Europe over the past five years. It’s no surprise, then, that the league has hosted a wide array of top goalscorers who have racked up the numbers for their teams.
Flashy football and emphasis on youth players coming through the clubs’ ranks make the La Liga extremely appealing to fans who also get to witness some of the best talents from across the world. The league is presently home to arguably two of the best players in the game at present – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. And a look at the most prolific goalscorers in the league reveals that the pair features prominently in the Top 10 and are the only active players in the list.
Messi sits comfortably at the top of the La Liga goalscoring charts with 284 goals in 313 appearances. Still only 28 and with every chance that of ending his career at the Nou Camp, the Argentine’s goal tally by the end of his career is the stuff of far-reaching imagination right now.
Ronaldo is head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the goals/games ratio. The Portuguese international averages a staggering 1.125 goals per game and is the only player with a realistic chance of catching Messi.
So who all make the list in the Top 10 goal scorers in La Liga history? Let’s take a look.
| No | Player | Year | Clubs | Matches | Goals | Ratio |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 2004 – Present | Barcelona | 313 | 284 | 0.907 |
| 2 | Telmo Zarra | 1940 – 1955 | Athletic Bilbao | 278 | 251 | 0.902 |
| 3 | Hugo Sanchez |
1981 – 1985 1985 – 1992 1993 – 1994 |
Atletico Madrid Real Madrid Rayo Vallencano |
111 207 29 |
54 164 16 |
0.486 0.792 0.551 |
| 347 | 234 | 0.674 | ||||
| 4 | Raul Gonzalez | 1994 – 2010 | Real Madrid | 550 | 228 | 0.414 |
| 5 | Alfredo di Stefano |
1953 – 1964 1964 – 1966 |
Real Madrid Espanyol |
282 47 |
216 11 |
0.766 0.234 |
| 329 | 227 | 0.69 | ||||
| 6 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2009 – Present | Real Madrid | 200 | 225 | 1.125 |
| 7 | Cesar Rodriguez |
1940 – 1941 1941 – 1955 1955 – 1956 1959 – 1960 |
Grenada Barcelona Cultural Leonesa Elche |
24 287 15 27 |
23 192 3 5 |
0.958 0.669 0.2 0.185 |
| 353 | 223 | 0,632 | ||||
| 8 | Quini |
1970 – 1980 1980 – 1984 |
Sporting Barcelona |
325 100 |
175 54 |
0.538 0.54 |
| 425 | 219 | 0.515 | ||||
| 9 | Pahino |
1943 – 1944 1945 – 1948 1948 – 1953 1953 – 1956 |
Celta Vigo Celta Vigo Real Madrid Deportivo |
15 67 122 72 |
4 52 108 46 |
0.266 0.776 0.885 0.639 |
| 276 | 210 | 0.761 | ||||
| 10 | Edmundo Suarez |
1939 – 1950 1950 – 1951 |
Valencia Alcoyano |
210 21 |
186 9 |
0.886 0.428 |
| 231 | 195 | 0.844 | ||||
Top La Liga goalscorers who are still active in the game
Among the leading goalscorers who are still playing the game, there are lethal forwards like David Villa, Samuel Eto’o and Diego Forlan, who are in the twilight of their careers, as well as players like Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Negredo and Roberto Soldado who still have a few years of top flight football left in them.
Rivaldo would have featured in the list as well – at the No. 9 spot – had he not announced his retirement (yes, again!) from the game this weekend, at the age of 43.
| No | Player | Matches | Goals | Ratio |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 313 | 284 | 0.907 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 200 | 225 | 1.125 |
| 3 | David Villa | 352 | 185 | 0.525 |
| 4 | Samuel Etoo | 280 | 172 | 0.614 |
| 5 | Raul Tamudo | 403 | 145 | 0.36 |
| 6 | Diego Forlan | 240 | 128 | 0.533 |
| 7 | Aritz Aduriz | 312 | 111 | 0.356 |
| 8 | Gonzalo Higuain | 190 | 107 | 0.563 |
| 9 | Alvaro Negredo | 239 | 107 | 0.448 |
| 10 | Roberto Soldado | 207 | 101 | 0.488 |