Garrincha vs Raúl: Stats Compared
Right Winger, Brazil (born 1933, retired 1972) · Striker, Spain (born 1977, retired 2015)
Ask any fan to rank Garrincha above or below Raúl and you will get a passionate answer. Strip away the highlights and the medal count tells its own story for each man. Career output puts Garrincha at 245 goals in 612 games, with Raúl at 432 in 1032. Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. In major honours Garrincha collected 9 — headlined by 2× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962) — whereas Raúl amassed 16, led by 3× UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000, 2002). Garrincha built his medal haul through years of predatory consistency, while Raúl won his with ruthless bursts of brilliance. The wider career context matters too: Garrincha peaked around 1962 after representing Botafogo, Corinthians, Flamengo, while Raúl's defining level came around 2002 across Real Madrid, Schalke 04, Al Sadd, New York Cosmos. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
160 words · comparison angle: trophies
Player profiles
Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a right winger. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by many, one of the greatest dribblers ever. Garrincha played a vital role in Brazil's 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories.
“A joyful dribbler whose balance and feints made the right flank his personal stage.”
Real Madrid legend who captained the club to three Champions League titles; held the all-time Champions League goals record before Messi and Ronaldo surpassed him.
“An intelligent, tireless forward whose movement off the ball created chances for himself and others.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 2× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962)
- 3× UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000, 2002)
- 6× La Liga
- 4× Supercopa de España
- 2× Intercontinental Cup (1998, 2002)
- 1× UEFA Super Cup (2002)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1954 Established himself at Botafogo
- 1958 Reached his defining peak
- 1962 Delivered a landmark season
- 1972 Retired from professional football
- 1994 Real Madrid debut aged 17
- 1996 Won La Liga with Real Madrid
- 1998 Champions League winner at 20
- 2000 Champions League winner, top scorer in the tournament
- 2003 Became Real Madrid captain
- 2010 Left Real Madrid after 16 years at the club
- 2015 Retired at New York Cosmos
The verdict
Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, Raúl takes it by a decisive margin.
Raúl edges it (a decisive margin)
