Back-to-back league titles in the early 1980s, Copa del Rey nights and an academy that keeps selling stars abroad all feed this list. Some picks are one-club stalwarts; others stayed just long enough to leave a mark in San Sebastián.
1Luis ArconadaGoalkeeper who made 551 appearances for the club and won the 1980–81 and 1981–82 La Liga titles.1000pts
2Mikel MerinoMidfielder who won the 2020 Copa del Rey with the club and made 242 appearances before joining Arsenal in 2024.689pts
3Txiki BegiristainWinger who played for the first team from 1982 to 1988, winning the 1987 Copa del Rey before joining Barcelona.626pts
4Martín ZubimendiAcademy defensive midfielder who made 236 appearances and won the 2020 Copa del Rey before joining Arsenal in 2025.626pts
5Imanol AgirretxeAcademy striker who played for the first team from 2005 until injuries forced his retirement in 2018.587pts
6Alexander IsakSwedish striker who scored 44 goals in 132 games from 2019 to 2022 before joining Newcastle United.542pts
7Antoine GriezmannAcademy forward who helped win the 2009–10 Segunda División title and scored 52 goals in 202 games before joining Atlético Madrid in 2014.542pts
8Valeri KarpinRussian midfielder who had two spells at the club, 1994–1996 and 2002–2005, totalling 194 appearances.491pts
9José Mari BakeroAttacking midfielder who scored 90 goals in 288 games for the club from 1980 to 1988 before joining Barcelona.491pts
10Jesús María ZamoraMidfielder who made 588 appearances and scored the late equaliser at Sporting Gijón that clinched the 1980–81 La Liga title.491pts
11John AldridgeRepublic of Ireland striker who in 1989 became the club's first foreign signing in decades and scored 40 goals in two seasons.491pts
12Claudio BravoChilean goalkeeper who made 237 appearances for the club between 2006 and 2014 before joining Barcelona.491pts
13Robin Le NormandFrench-born centre-back who won the 2020 Copa del Rey with the club and Euro 2024 with Spain before joining Atlético Madrid.491pts
14Xabi PrietoOne-club midfielder who made 530 appearances and scored 73 goals for Real Sociedad between 2003 and 2018.434pts
15Álex RemiroGoalkeeper who joined from Athletic Bilbao in 2019, won the 2020 Copa del Rey and has passed 300 appearances for the club.434pts
16Carlos VelaMexican forward who scored 73 goals in 250 games from 2011 to 2018 and helped the club reach the 2013–14 Champions League.434pts
17Jon Andoni LarrañagaDefender and midfielder who played 589 official games from 1980 to 1994, second only to Górriz in club history, and won both 1980s league titles.434pts
18David SilvaSpanish playmaker who joined from Manchester City in 2020 and won the 2020 Copa del Rey before retiring in 2023.434pts
19Darko KovačevićSerbian striker who scored 107 goals for the club across two spells, 1996–1999 and 2001–2007, including the 2002–03 runner-up season.367pts
20Nihat KahveciTurkish striker who scored 23 league goals in 2002–03 as the club finished second in La Liga.367pts
21Mikel OyarzabalAcademy forward and captain who scored the penalty that won the 2020 Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.289pts
22Takefusa KuboJapanese winger who joined from Real Madrid in 2022 and has made more than 160 appearances for the club.289pts
23Mikel AranburuOne-club midfielder who made 427 official appearances for Real Sociedad between 1997 and 2012.289pts
24Asier IllarramendiAcademy midfielder who left for Real Madrid in 2013 and returned in 2015 for a second spell that lasted until 2023.289pts
25Roberto López UfarteLeft winger who played for the club from 1975 to 1987, won both of its 1980s league titles and was in Spain's squad at the 1982 World Cup.197pts
26Alberto LópezGoalkeeper who made 377 official appearances for the first team between 1993 and 2006.197pts
27Jesús María SatrústeguiStriker from 1973 to 1986 who is the club's all-time top scorer with more than 160 goals and won the 1980–81 and 1981–82 La Liga titles.197pts
28Inaxio KortabarriaCentre-back who played for the club from 1971 to 1985 and, with Athletic's José Ángel Iribar, carried the Basque flag onto the pitch before the December 1976 derby.197pts
29Iñigo MartínezAcademy centre-back who made nearly 240 appearances before Athletic Bilbao paid his release clause in January 2018.197pts
30Xabi AlonsoAcademy midfielder who anchored the 2002–03 side that finished La Liga runner-up before joining Liverpool in 2004.0pts
31Meho KodroBosnian striker who scored 81 goals in 146 games for the club from 1991 to 1995 before joining Barcelona.0pts
32LorenVersatile forward and centre-back who made 411 appearances for the club across two spells, the second running from 1993 to 2002.0pts
33Alberto GórrizDefender who holds the club record of 599 official appearances, made between 1979 and 1993.0pts
Photo credits
- Luis Arconada — ABB, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mikel Merino — Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Txiki Begiristain — Biser Todorov, CC BY 4.0
- Martín Zubimendi — Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Imanol Agirretxe — Ketari, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Alexander Isak — Mikael Hervestad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Antoine Griezmann — Biser Todorov (User:Biso) from Sofia, Bulgaria, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Valeri Karpin — Артем Гусев, CC BY-SA 3.0
- José Mari Bakero — Roger Goraczniak, CC BY 3.0
- Jesús María Zamora — ABB, CC BY-SA 3.0
- John Aldridge — Pangalau, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Claudio Bravo — Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Robin Le Normand — Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xabi Prieto — PB84, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Álex Remiro — Giovanni Batista Rodriguez from San Sebastian-Donostia, España, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Carlos Vela — PB84, CC BY-SA 4.0
- David Silva — Кирилл Венедиктов, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Darko Kovačević — Original: John Dobson Derivative work: Danyele, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Nihat Kahveci — Steindy (talk) 23:56, 10 April 2016 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mikel Oyarzabal — Rolandhino1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Takefusa Kubo — Ali Mohammed Mahdi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mikel Aranburu — Aranburu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Asier Illarramendi — PB84, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Roberto López Ufarte — Paolomarchal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Alberto López — Rebeca F.P., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jesús María Satrústegui — Jesús Mª Arzuaga, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Inaxio Kortabarria — Jesús Mª Arzuaga, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Iñigo Martínez — Rolandhino1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xabi Alonso — DONOSTIA KULTURA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Meho Kodro — Armin Durgut/PIXSELL, CC BY 3.0
- Loren — Sergio M. Alonso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alberto Górriz — ABB, CC BY-SA 3.0






















