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01-15-2007, 08:13 PM
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 16
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Raúl
Raúl Personal information Full name Raúl González Blanco Date of birth June 27, 1977 Place of birth Madrid, Spain Height 180cm Nickname El Angel de Madrid (The Angel Of Madrid,
El capitán, Raulito Position Centre forward Striker Club information Current club Real Madrid Number 7 Youth clubs 1990–1992 1992–1994 Atlético Madrid Real Madrid Professional clubs* Years Club Apps (goals) 1994–1995 1994 1994–present Real Madrid C Real Madrid B Real Madrid 7 (16) 1 (0) 417 (182) National team** 1996–present Spain 102 (44) , usually referred to simply as Raúl, (born June 27, 1977) is a Spanish football forward. He has been playing for Real Madrid at senior level since 1994, where he is the team captain. He has played more than 100 games for the Spanish national team, and is its all-time leading goal scorer with 44 goals. He represented Spain in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2004 and 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments. 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 playing, he wears jersey number 7 for both club and country. Playing style 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. Many Real Madrid and Spain coaches have struggled to find Raúl's most effective position. Although originally an out-and-out striker, his most prolific years were in the late 1990s partnered by Fernando Morientes, a taller and more natural target man. Since Morientes' departure in the summer of 2003, Raúl has variously been played as a second striker off Ronaldo or Ruud van Nistelrooy, or as a left-winger. For the Spanish national side at the 2006 World Cup, Raúl pushed Luis García out of the side to play 'in the hole' behind two strikers, Fernando Torres and David Villa, with wingers José Antonio Reyes and Joaquín Sánchez kept on the bench. Biography Raúl was born in the Madrid suburb of San Cristobal de Los Ángeles. After winning his spurs as a member of provincial amateur team San Cristobal de Los Angeles, his father signed him up for the Atlético Madrid youth team at the age of 13. Raúl rose through the ranks, winning the national title with the Under-15 youth team, 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 1994-95 season in Real's "C" team, and scored 13 goals in the first seven games. In October 1994, head 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 doing so, he nudged aside 1991 Pichichi Trophy winner Emilio Butragueño, 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 the Spanish La Liga championship. Raúl made his national team debut against the Czech Republic in October 1996. Raúl's performances for Spain have since mirrored the nation's fortunes, Spain being dubbed the "greatest underachievers" in international football. Raúl was a key player in Real Madrid's six big titles from 1998 to 2003. With Real, he won three European UEFA Champions League trophies in 1998, 2000 and 2002, scoring the clinching goal in the 2000 Champions League final. On the domestic scene, he won three Spnaish La Liga championships in 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 2003, 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 the European competitions, 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. 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. When he led out the Spanish team against San Marino in a 2006 FIFA 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 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Honours Club
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| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Raúl Is Fantastic - Güiza | voldemort | Spanish Primera Liga | 0 | 11-12-2007 09:41 PM |
| Raul vows better days after Super Cup defeat | Goal | General News and info | 0 | 08-21-2007 10:40 PM |
| Raul wants Real respect | Goal | Feeds | 0 | 01-20-2007 05:24 AM |
| Raul content at Madrid | Goal | Feeds | 0 | 01-14-2007 06:36 PM |
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