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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, although he started his career in
Atletico de Madrid. He currently is the captain of both Real and the Spanish
national team, being its all-time leading scorer. In both he wears jersey
number 7.
***
***
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 Atletico Madrid youth team at the age of 13. Raul
rose through the ranks and seemed destined to join the professional side
when Atletico President Jesus Gil y 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 Butragueno, a star in his own
right, and was soon well on the way to becoming Spain's new sensation. In
his first season, he scored nine times in 28 appearances 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) and three National Championships
(1999, 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.
Raúl is a supremely intelligent striker who is able to link attack and
midfield effectively. He shines on the pitch because of his strong character
and immense efforts, and by his unbreakable resolve to win every game. At
1.80m in height and just over 70 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 excellent link-up play, allowing him to
play in the hole behind the front men.
For his country, Raúl scored 42 goals in 92 international matches (as of
November 2005). He played in the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World
Cup, and Euro 2004. On 28 September 2005 against Greek power Olympiakos, he
became the first player to score 50 goals in UEFA Champions League play (in
his 97th match). Raúl is also currently 11th highest goalscorer in the
history of Spain's top flight, with 175 goals in 382 games. All of these
goals were for Real Madrid, making Raúl the club's third highest goalscorer
of all time. This will surely 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.
Profile:
Full name Raúl González Blanco
Nickname(s) Raúl, El ángel de Madrid
(The Angel from Madrid)
Date of birth June 27, 1977
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Current club Real Madrid
Position(s) Attacking midfielder ("Hole"),
Forward
Youth club(s)
1992-94 Atlético Madrid
Real Madrid
Professional club(s)*
1994- Real Madrid 382 (175)
National team**
1996- Spain 92 (42) |
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RAUL GONZALEZ PICTURES |
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