The Spanish national team's all-time top goalscorers
By George Cannon
Spain's only World Cup triumph may have come all the way back in 2010, but the national team's period of dominance from 2008 to 2012 will never be forgotten.
The nation has a rich footballing history, having produced some of the best players the game has ever seen, including world-class goalscorers.
Here are the all-time top scorers for the Spanish men's national team.
32. Diego Costa - 10 goals
Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa has ten goals for the national team.
The controversial striker chose to represent Spain over Brazil, the country of his birth, and represented them at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.
31. Alvaro Negredo - 10 goals
Negredo won the 2012 European Championship with Spain and has bagged ten goals for La Roja.
The 35-year-old striker won the Premier League and League Cup with Manchester City in 2014 before suffering relegation with Middlesbrough three years later. He later turned out for Cadiz in La Liga.
30. Poli Rincon - 10 goals
Hipólito 'Poli' Rincon was a Real Madrid academy graduate and played for the national team in the 80s. After spending three years on loan away from his boyhood club, he joined Real Betis where he netted 78 goals in 223 appearances.
At international level, Rincon scored ten goals in just 20 appearances and starred at the 1986 World Cup.
29. Juan Mata - 11 goals
The Manchester United maestro was unfortunate to be around in a time when Spain had an abundance of the world's best midfielders.
Competition for places meant Mata only managed 41 appearances for his country. Still, 11 goals, a World Cup and a European Championship isn't a bad return for Mata, who scored the final goal in Spain's 4-0 thrashing of Italy in the 2012 Euros final.
28. Alfonso - 11 goals
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Alfonso was a striker who began his career at Real Madrid before he embarked on two separate stints with Real Betis and a spell at Barcelona.
He scored 11 goals in 38 appearances for Spain, but unquestionably the most important were his two against Yugoslavia, including a last-minute winner to send them through to the knockout stages in Euro 2000.
27. Amancio - 11 goals
Meet Amancio, one of @SeFutbol's greatest scorers, striker for Spain the 60s! http://t.co/p0Ztg4UWnz pic.twitter.com/s2tJXgGjsX
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Amancio played for his country throughout the 60s and 70s, scoring 11 goals in 38 appearances.
He started his career with Deportivo de La Coruña before moving to Real Madrid, who he would later manage for a season in 1984/85.
26. José Martínez Sánchez (Pirri) - 12 goals
Despite being a central midfielder, José Martínez Sánchez - more commonly known as Pirri - managed 11 goals in 33 games for Spain.
He played throughout the 60s and 70s and also had an impressive goalscoring record at club level, notching 153 strikes in 493 games for Granada, Real Madrid and Puebla.
25. Xavi - 12 goals
Barcelona legend Xavi is one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the beautiful game. He played an incredible 131 times for the national team, scoring 12 goals along the way.
The diminutive playmaker was an integral part of the side that won three consecutive major trophies from 2008 to 2012, playing in every final.
24. Luis Enrique - 12 goals
Current national team boss Luis Enrique managed 12 goals in 62 matches during his playing days. He last turned out for Spain in 2002 before turning his hand to management.
In the 2014/15 season with Barcelona, he won the treble during his first season in charge of the Catalans and is hoping to bring similar success to the international stage.
23. Joseba Etxeberria - 12 goals
Etxeberria played seven games for Real Sociedad before moving to Basque rivals Athletic Club, where he spent the rest of his career.
He earned an impressive 53 caps for Spain, scoring 12 goals and represented the nation in one World Cup and two European Championships.
22. Isco - 12 goals
The Real Madrid playmaker has scored 12 goals in 38 caps for his national team and featured in the 2018 World Cup campaign.
He hasn't quite been able to replicate his club success on the international stage, but it's still a very respectable scoring record.
21. Paco Alcacer - 12 goals
Alcacer has struggled to find a stable home in recent years, but the goals have not stopped coming. He's had very respectable records at Valencia, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund before ending up at Villarreal, where he has three in his first five games of 2020/21 with the Yellow Submarines.
For Spain, the centre-forward has 12 goals in just 19 appearances showing the 27-year-old is capable of finding the back of the net for whoever he plays for.
20. Isidro Langara - 12 goals
Langara was a striker from the Basque Country who had an incredible goalscoring ratio for every side he played for.
He only played seven times for Spain before turning out for the Basque Country national side but still managed 12 goals in that time.
19. Andres Iniesta - 13 goals
Iniesta will always be remembered for scoring the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final. It had been a tough game for the Spaniards with the Netherlands often turning to underhand tactics in order to disrupt their tika-taka football, but little magician popped up in extra time to seal their maiden World Cup title.
It was one of 13 strikes in 131 games for the national side, but none were more important than this one.
18. Julen Guerrero - 13 goals
Guerrero was a one-club man playing 372 games for Athletic Club, scoring over 100 goals.
The attacking midfielder also had a very decent record for his country, netting 13 goals in 42 appearances for the national team.
17. Santillana - 14 goals
Santillana was considered one of the best strikers in Spain throughout the 70s and 80s, turning out over 450 times for Real Madrid and bagging 186 goals in the process.
With Los Blancos he won nine league titles and earned himself 45 international caps scoring 14 goals.
16. Cesc Fabregas - 15 goals
Fabregas is best remembered for a pivotal assist rather than his goals, but he still managed to find the back of the net 15 times in 110 games for the national team.
The former Arsenal man played Iniesta through for that crucial goal in the World Cup final in 2010 after coming off the bench, and he also started both successful Euros finals in 2008 and 2012.
15. Santi Cazorla - 15 goals
Cazorla had terrible luck with injuries in his final years at Arsenal but made an incredible recovery to rediscover his best form at Villarreal and earn a recall to the national side despite being well into his 30s.
The midfield man has scored 15 goals in 81 appearances for his country and is now playing in Qatar for Al Sadd.
14. Xabi Alonso - 16 goals
Alonso won trophies everywhere he went, including with Spain. He came off the bench in the 2008 Euros finals before starting the 2010 and 2012 showdowns.
The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder won 114 caps for Spain and scored 16 goals throughout his glittering career.
13. Pedro - 17 goals
Pedro was another part of Spain's recent successes. The former Barcelona and Chelsea man started the 2010 World Cup final and came off the bench two years later against Italy.
He's scored 17 goals in 65 games for his country and now turns out for AS Roma in Serie A.
12. Alvaro Morata - 18 goals
Anyone who saw Morata at Chelsea may be shocked to find the 27-year-old so far up this list but his record for Spain is pretty impressive.
17 goals in just 33 appearances may shed some light on why Juventus have just re-signed him for a potential £50m fee.
11. Alfredo di Stefano - 18 goals
Di Stefano was an integral part of one of the most successful Real Madrid teams in history. He struck up a successful partnership with Ferenc Puskas and scored in five consecutive European Cup finals for the Spanish giants.
He is generally considered one of the best footballers to have ever played and was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959. Di Stefano was born in Buenos Aires but went on to represent Argentina, Colombia and Spain at international level, scoring 16 goals in 19 games for the Spanish national team.
10. Michel - 21 goals
Former Real Madrid winger Michel was renowned for his incredible crossing ability but also chipped in with his fair share of goals as well.
The wide-man scored 21 goals in 68 games for his country including four at the 1990 World Cup.
9. Julio Salinas - 22 goals
The lanky centre forward had a nomadic club career but is best known for his time at Barcelona in the late 80s and early 90s where he scored 60 goals in 146 appearances.
Salinas earned 57 caps for Spain, scored 22 goals and featured in five major tournaments for the national team.
8. Sergio Ramos - 23 goals
Now the national team captain, Sergio Ramos has an unbelievable goalscoring record for his country. The centre back is a threat in the air but has also established himself as Spain's regular penalty taker to boost his numbers.
He shows no signs of slowing up just yet but is another player famed for his crucial role between 2008 and 2012 where he started all three finals, the first two at right back.
7. Emilio Butragueno - 27 goals
Butragueno scored 27 goals in 70 appearances for Spain. The diminutive striker came through the ranks at Real Madrid and scored over 100 goals for his boyhood club.
His best moment in a Spain shirt was scoring five in the 1986 World Cup, leaving him just one behind Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker.
6. Fernando Morientes - 27 goals
Morientes earned 46 caps for the national team scoring 27 goals, the last of which came in a 2008 Euros qualifier.
He bagged an impressive 72 goals in 182 appearances for Real Madrid while also enjoying spells at Monaco, Liverpool and Valencia.
5. Fernando Hierro - 29 goals
The versatile Spaniard is famed for his astonishing goalscoring record for club and country despite not playing in an advanced position. Hierro played 90 times for Spain scoring 30 goals and went on to manage his national team at the 2018 World Cup following Julen Lopetegui's surprise departure on the eve of the tournament.
He scored 102 goals for Real Madrid in 439 games before moving to Bolton Wanderers for the 2004/05 campaign.
4. David Silva - 35 goals
The Manchester City legend was more renowned for his passing ability during his time in the Premier League, but his goalscoring record is also pretty impressive.
Silva scored 35 goals in 123 caps, which includes the opening goal in the Euro 2012 final.
3. Fernando Torres - 39 goals
39 goals in 111 caps for Spain makes Fernando Torres his country's third all-time top goalscorer. His crowning glory was scoring the only goal in the 2008 Euros final against Germany to deliver the first of three consecutive major trophies for his nation.
The former Atletico Madrid and Liverpool forward came off the bench in the 2010 World Cup final and the 2012 Euros final, a tournament where he won the Golden Boot.
2. Raul - 44 goals
Raul won six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid but was born in the wrong era as far as his international career is concerned.
He made the last of his 103 appearances for Spain in 2006, two years before they started to dominate world football. He still managed an incredible 44 goals.
1. David Villa - 63 goals
Former Barcelona striker David Villa scored an astonishing 63 goals in 98 caps for Spain. The prolific forward was the Golden Boot winner in the 2008 tournament and the Silver Boot winner two years later after bagging five goals in South Africa.
He was a key part of the side that lifted Spain's maiden World Cup, starting in the final against the Netherlands before Torres replaced him in extra time. A broken leg ruled Villa out of the 2012 tournament, but right now he remains the greatest marksman in the Spanish national team's history.
