Top Goal Scorers for the Spanish Football Team All-Time: Spanish football has always been really good in Europe. There have been lots of amazing players who played the beautiful sport over the years.
The Spanish national team, which had won just one Euro Cup in 1964, did something amazing in six years. They won two more Euro Cups in 2008 and 2012 and also won a World Cup in 2010. This was a special generation of players who showed the world that they could play great football and beat the best teams.
Football is great because of many things like the fans, the coaches, and especially the players. So, we want to make a list of the top 10 goal scorers in the history of the Spanish national team.
Since they won the World Cup in 2010 and were European champions twice, Spain showed that they were a strong team with their own style. Even though Spanish football is going through changes now, the current team has some really good young players like Pedri, Pau Torres, Ferrán Torres, and Dani Olmo.
Top Goal Scorers for the Spanish Football Team All-Time
So, we need to make a list of the top 10 goal scorers for the Spanish national team of all time. This way, we can remember all the special Spanish players in the world of football.
1. David Villa
- Career Span: 2005–2017
- Matches: 98
- Goals: 59
- Average: 0.608
David Villa is a really important player for the Spanish team’s recent success. He’s the top scorer in the history of the Spanish national team with 59 goals in 98 games. He broke the record held by Raúl González Blanco. In the World Cup that Spain won, he scored the most goals for his team, and those goals were really important in their success.
David Villa is maybe the best striker Spain has ever had. He was one of the best goal-scorers of his time. His goals were also really important when Spain won the 2008 European Championship. He won two league titles and the Champions League with Barcelona before moving to Atletico Madrid, where he helped them win their first La Liga title in nearly two decades.
2. Raúl
- Career Span: 1996–2006
- Matches: 102
- Goals: 44
- Average: 0.431
Raúl was an extraordinary goal scorer and is definitely one of the greatest strikers ever. He was a versatile player and had an amazing ability to score goals, finding the net 405 times in 940 matches throughout his career. Raúl was particularly skilled at scoring with lobs, a move where he would delicately lift the ball over the goalkeeper. His numerous goals made him a legend among Real Madrid fans, who support one of the most successful European clubs in history.
Even though he didn’t win a major international title with Spain, Raúl is still considered one of the finest Spanish players ever. He managed to score 44 goals in 102 matches while representing his country over a decade. In 2001, he came incredibly close to winning the Ballon d’Or, finishing as the runner-up just behind Michael Owen.
3. Fernando Torres
- Career Span: 2003–2014
- Matches: 110
- Goals: 38
- Average: 0.345
In his prime, “El Niño” Torres was a complete number nine who could do it all. He’s remembered as the talented young player who came up through Atletico Madrid’s youth system. During his time at Liverpool, Torres was absolutely unstoppable. He was one of the best goal scorers during his peak and could score using both his feet and his head.
What made Torres really special were his speed, his ability to deceive opponents, and his hard work on the field. He had some big achievements, including winning the 2010 World Cup, the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with Spain, and the 2012 Champions League title with Chelsea. He ended up scoring 38 goals in 110 matches for the Spanish national team.
4. David Silva
- Career Span: 2006–2018
- Matches: 125
- Goals: 35
- Average: 0.280
David Silva started playing for Spain’s national soccer team on November 15, 2006, in a game against Romania, which Spain won 1-0. He scored his first two goals for the team on August 22, 2007, in a friendly match against Greece. Silva played in the 2008 European Championships and scored a crucial goal in the semi-final to help Spain reach the final, where they became champions.
In the 2009 Confederations Cup, Silva played and helped Spain finish third. He also played in the qualification games for the 2010 World Cup, scoring three goals. Silva was part of the squad for the 2010 World Cup and played in Spain’s first game, but he didn’t play much after that.
Silva played in the UEFA Euro 2012 and did really well, scoring important goals and helping Spain win the championship again.
He also played in the 2016 European Championship, where he reached his 100th international match, but Spain got knocked out in the round of 16. After Spain didn’t do well in the 2018 World Cup, Silva retired from the national team.
5. Álvaro Morata
- Career Span: 2014–
- Matches: 66
- Goals: 33
- Average: 0.500
Álvaro Morata was part of Spain’s team for the 2016 European Championships in France. He played as a starter in all the matches and was the top scorer for the Spanish team, scoring three goals. He scored two goals in the second group game, helping Spain win 3-0 against Turkey. In the last group game against Croatia, despite Spain losing 1-2, he gave his team a 1-0 lead with his goal. Unfortunately, Spain was eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy.
Morata was also included in the Spanish squad for the 2021 European Championships. During the tournament, he scored three goals, including the crucial equalizer in the semi-final against Italy, although Spain ultimately lost in a penalty shootout. Morata had a decisive role in the shootout but missed his penalty. In total, he scored 33 goals in 66 appearances for the national team.
6. Fernando Hierro
- Career Span: 1989–2002
- Matches: 89
- Goals: 29
- Average: 0.326
Fernando Hierro is a top-notch defender who played for both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. He was known for his strong defensive skills and his ability to be a threat in front of the goal. Hierro was a versatile player who could excel as both a central defender and a defensive midfielder.
During his legendary career at Real Madrid, which spanned 14 seasons, Hierro played in 601 matches and remarkably scored 102 goals for a defender. This is an impressive feat. He also clinched 5 La Liga titles and 3 Champions League trophies with Real Madrid. In the Spanish national team, Hierro was equally vital. Surprisingly, he scored more frequently for Spain than at his club, tallying 29 goals in 89 matches. Despite participating in four World Cups, he couldn’t secure a major title with the Spanish national team.
7. Fernando Morientes
- Career Span: 1998–2007
- Matches: 47
- Goals: 27
- Average: 0.574
Fernando Morientes was part of the Spanish squad for the 1996 Olympic Games, but unfortunately, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. His debut for Spain’s senior national team came on March 25, 1998, in a match against Sweden, where he made an immediate impact by scoring two goals in just five minutes. Morientes scored twice in the 1998 World Cup and added three more goals to his international tally during the 2002 World Cup. However, coach José Antonio Camacho didn’t select him for the 2000 European Championships.
In the 2004 European Championships, Morientes returned to the national team and scored Spain’s only goal as the team faced a disappointing tournament. Overall, he scored 27 goals in 47 appearances for Spain, making him the 7th highest goal-scorer in Spanish history. However, he wasn’t called up for the 2006 World Cup or the 2008 European Championships by national coach Luis Aragonés.
8. Emilio Butragueño
- Career Span: 1984–1992
- Matches: 69
- Goals: 26
- Average: 0.377
Emilio Butragueño joined Spain’s soccer team in the summer of 1984 for the European Championships, but he didn’t get to play, and Spain ended up as runners-up. He had his first game for the national team in 1984 against Wales, where he scored a goal in Spain’s 3-0 win.
Two years later, Butragueño played in the World Cup in Mexico. He scored against Northern Ireland and had an amazing game with four goals against Denmark in the round of 16. Spain was expected to do well, but they got eliminated in the quarter-finals by Belgium in a penalty shootout. Butragueño finished the tournament with five goals, which was the second-highest, behind Gary Lineker.
In 1990, Butragueño was the team captain in the World Cup in Italy, but Spain didn’t perform as expected. They were eliminated by Yugoslavia in the round of 16, and Butragueño didn’t score any goals in this tournament. After Spain didn’t qualify for EURO 1992, he left the national team. He played 69 international matches and scored 26 goals, making him Spain’s top scorer until 2001. Now, he’s 8th on the list.
9. Alfredo Di Stéfano
- Career Span: 1957–1961
- Matches: 31
- Goals: 23
- Average: 0.742
After receiving Spanish citizenship in 1956, Alfredo Di Stéfano became eligible to play for the Spanish national team. He made his debut on January 30, 1957, and had an impressive start, scoring twice in a 5-0 victory against the Netherlands. Despite having exceptional players like Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento, Luis Suárez, and László Kubala, Spain surprisingly failed to qualify for the 1958 World Cup.
However, four years later, Di Stéfano finally had the chance to participate in the tournament in Chile. Alongside him was the Hungarian Ferenc Puskás, who had also acquired Spanish citizenship. Unfortunately, a persistent muscle injury prevented the 36-year-old star from playing, and his last international match was a friendly against France on December 10, 1961. Di Stéfano joins the list of world-class players like Ryan Giggs (Wales), George Best (Northern Ireland), and George Weah (Liberia) who never had the opportunity to compete in a World Cup.
10. Sergio Ramos
- Career Span: 2005–2021
- Matches: 180
- Goals: 23
- Average: 0.128
Sergio Ramos, who holds the 10th place in the ranking, is a well-known player and doesn’t require much of an introduction. He’s a former captain of the Spanish national team and is famous worldwide for his defensive skills and talent. Born on March 30, 1986, Ramos was a key part of Spain’s golden generation in football. The Seville-born footballer has consistently been recognized as one of the best central defenders globally for many seasons. It’s quite a feat to maintain such a high level of performance over the years, and now he’s continuing his career at Sevilla.
His international career has also been incredibly successful. He was part of the golden generation that won the European Championship twice and a World Cup within just four years. In 2017, Sergio Ramos achieved a remarkable 6th place in the Ballon d’Or rankings, which is quite an accomplishment for a defender.
