Raúl González

Raúl González Blanco, usually referred to simply as Raúl, (born June 27, 1977 in Madrid, Spain) is a Spanish football forward. He has been playing for Real Madrid at senior level since 1994. He currently is the captain of both Real and the Spanish national team, being its all-time leading scorer. He wears jersey number 7 when playing for either team.

Player Profile

Raúl was born in the Madrid suburb of Villaverde Alto. After winning his spurs as a member of provincial team San Cristobal de Los Angeles, his father signed him to the Atlético Madrid youth team at the age of 13. Raul rose through the ranks, winning the national title with the Under-15's, and seemed destined to join the professional side when Atletico President Jesús Gil dissolved the club's entire youth scheme in an effort to save money.

Deprived of a team to play for, Raul turned to local rivals Real Madrid, where success was quickly forthcoming: he began the 1994-5 season in Real's C team, scoring 13 goals in the first seven games. In October 1994, coach Jorge Valdano picked the gifted teenager in his first team. At just 17 years and four months, Raul became the youngest player ever to wear a Real Madrid shirt. In so doing, he nudged aside Emilio Butragueño, a star in his own right, and was soon well on the way to becoming Spain's new sensation. He scored nine times in his first season from 28 appearances, including one in his second game against Atletico, and won a Spanish league championship medal. Since making his debut against the Czech Republic in October 1996, Raúl's performances for Spain have very much mirrored the nation's fortunes, Spain being dubbed the "greatest underachievers" in international football.

Raúl was a key player in Real Madrid's last six big titles, three European Champions Leagues (1998, 2000 and 2002) scoring the clinching goal in the champions league final of 2000 and three National Championships (1997, 2001 and 2003). After Fernando Hierro retired from the Spanish national team in 2002, Raúl became the captain for Real Madrid and Spain.

Ever since, he has been under heavy criticism by the media and part of the supporters because of his poor performances in the last two years, in which Real Madrid struggled to win a title in Spain and in European Champions Leagues, with no success in either of them. These struggles have seen Raúl relegated at times to the substitutes bench by both club and country leaving questions as to how much he might have in the tank.

Raúl is a striker who is able to link attack and midfield effectively.

At 1.80m in height and just over 68 kg, Raúl is very mobile and light on his feet, and likes to switch positions or go out wide. He can put his team-mates through into great positions, and create chances for himself even against the toughest markers. Originally an out-and-out striker, thanks to his versatility he has developed link-up play, allowing him to play in the hole behind the front men.

For his country, Raúl scored 44 goals in 95 international matches (as of June 19, 2006). He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, , the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and . On 28 September 2005 against Greek power Olympiakos, his 97th UEFA Champions League match, he became the first player to score 50 goals in the history of the tournament, passing Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano. Raúl is also currently 10th highest goalscorer in the history of Spain's top flight, with 180 goals in 400 games. All of these goals were for Real Madrid, making Raúl the club's third highest goalscorer of all time. This might improve as Raúl is still playing for the club.

When he led out the Spanish team against San Marino in a World Cup qualifier on 12 October 2005, he surpassed his predecessor as Spain captain, Fernando Hierro, as the most-capped outfield player (i.e., not a goalkeeper) in Spanish history.

On June 19, with a goal against Tunisia, Raúl became the 18th player to score in 3 different editions of the FIFA World Cup. He has scored in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Career Stats

Real Madrid 536/252

Spain 98/44

Personal Profile

Raúl grew up in a modest neighbourhood of Madrid, in the suburb Marconi de San Cristóbal de los Ángeles. His father, don Pedro, was a fan of Atlético Madrid, the club where he started playing after a short period in San Cristóbal's team. Atletico Madrid coach didn't notice anything special about him because he was very thin and weak. Raul later turned to Real Madrid's C team and quickly made it to the first team in 1994/1995 season. Raúl possesses a distinctive celebration, with each goal acclaimed by a kiss of his wedding ring, an acknowledgement to his wife Mamen Sanz. They have four sons: Jorge (February 25, 2000), who is named after Jorge Valdano, Hugo (November 20, 2002) and twins Héctor and Mateo (November 17, 2005). He likes reading, especially the books of Arturo Pérez Reverte, and listening to all sorts of Spanish music. He also enjoys hunting and watching bullfighting.

Fernando Morientes is a very close friend of Raul's. The two formed a very deadly striker partnership for Real Madrid and the Spanish national squad between 1998 and 2002, until Morientes was replaced by Ronaldo in the Real Madrid starting eleven. Morientes and Raul are still best friends, and Raul was often spotted at Anfield in the 2005/2006 English Premiership season while he was sidelined with an injury, watching Morientes play for Liverpool. Morientes and Raul have also gone on vacations together, with their families.

Honors

Royal Order's gold medal for Sports Merit (2006)
4 x Spanish League (1995, 1997, 2001, 2003)
3 x Spanish Super Cup (1997, 2001, 2003)
2 x Top Scorer of the Spanish League (1999, 2001)
3 x UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000, 2002)
1 x European SuperCup (2002)
2 x Intercontinental Cup (1998, 2002)
Voted Best Player of 1996/97 season after 21 goals in 42 games
Leading scorer for the Spanish national team
3 x Champions League Best Forward (2000, 2001, 2002)
1998 Most Valuable Player, Intercontinental Cup
1999 IFFHS World Goalgetter
2000 Spanish outstanding sportsman
2 x Bronze Boot of Europe (1999, 2001)
2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, Bronze award
2001 European Footballer of the Year, Silver award
Scored the 800th goal in Spain's national team history, March 27, 1999 vs Austria
Scored the 900th goal in Spain's national team history, September 7, 2002 vs Greece
Spanish national team all-time leading scorer
Most appearances for an outfield player in the Spanish national team
Top active scorer in La Liga
Top UEFA Champions League appearances^*

Quotes

Sir Alex Ferguson (08/04/03): "I hope he doesn't like travelling, Failing that we will stop him entering the country. Real buy these big players like Figo, Zidane and Ronaldo but I think the best player in the world is Raul".
Thierry Henry (25/06/00): "When he plays, in his mind there is only the goal; it's the football essence. Every time they do something, you stand up over your seat".
Franz Beckenbauer (09/05/00): "Raúl is one of the best of Europe. He is Real Madrid's spirit. He is like Matthaus for us: indispensable, and with a bad haircut".
Fabio Capello (15/11/99): "He is a winner. He is the inheritance of Real Madrid".
Jesús Gil (29/10/99): "Raúl is my black beast".
Javier Clemente (01/04/00): "Raúl is the best forward in Europe".

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