Raul Gonzalez Biography
Raúl González Blanco (born June 27, 1977), usually referred to simply as Raúl, is a Spain football (soccer) striker. He has been playing for Real Madrid C.F. at senior level since 1994, where he is the captain (football). He has played more than 100 games for the Spain national football team, and is its all-time leading goal scorer with 47 goals. He represented Spain in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 UEFA European Football Championship and 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments. He is the UEFA Champions League all-time leading scorer with 57 goals.Raúl is also currently 8th highest goalscorer in the history of Spain's top flight, with 203 goals in 524 games. All of these goals were for Real Madrid, making Raúl the club's third highest goalscorer of all time. He is also called 'The Angel Of Madrid' by fans and pundits etc.
When playing, he wears jersey number 7 for both club and country (until Euro 2000 he wore 10 for Spain). He has been wearing the number 7 shirt for Real Madrid since he was 19.His current contract with Real Madrid runs until 2012(extended to 2 more years).
Raúl grew up in the modest San Cristóbal de los Ángeles neighbourhood of Madrid. After winning his spurs as a member of provincial amateur team San Cristóbal de los Ángeles, his father signed him up for Atlético Madrid at the age of 13. Raúl rose through the ranks, winning the national title with the Under-15 youth team (cadete), and seemed destined to join the professional side when Atlético president Jesús Gil dissolved the club's entire youth scheme in an effort to save money. Real Madrid C.F. scouts quickly signed Raúl and he started the 1992-93 season with the Cadete A. Raúl again won another Cadete title. In 1993-94, he began the season with the Juvenil B team, moved on to Juvenil A, and was promoted to the Under-19 División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol team. He began the 1994-95 season in Madrid's Real Madrid C, and scored 13 goals in the seven games. In October 1994, head coach Jorge Valdano picked the gifted teenager in his first team. At just 17 years and four months, Raúl 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 Atlético Madrid, and won the Spanish La Liga championship. Raúl made his national team debut against the Czech Republic national football team 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 five Spanish La Liga championships in 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007. After Fernando Hierro retired from the Spanish national team in 2002, Raúl became the captain for Spain.
Ever since 2004, he has been under heavy criticism by the media and part of the supporters because of his poor performances in the last four years, in which Real Madrid struggled to win a European competition, 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. It is widely rumoured that the primary reason why Raúl starts in the Real Madrid line-up is because he has tremendous influence in Madrid. During the 2006/7 season, Raul has managed to regain some of the former displays of the past, and has created an impressive partnership with Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Because of his effort and passion for Real Madrid, he has shown his ability to play in a number of different positions including left/right winger.
On 28 September 2005 against Alpha Ethniki power Olympiacos, in his 97th UEFA Champions League match, Raul became the first player to score 50 goals in the history of the tournament, passing Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano. He is currently the top goal scorer in the history of the competition with 57 goals. His most recent UEFA Champions League goal came against Werder Bremen on 18 September 2007 at the Bernabeu. When he led out the Spanish team against San Marino national football team in a Football World Cup 2006 - European Qualification Groups 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 national football team, 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.
Personal life Raúl has a distinctive celebration, with each goal acclaimed by a kiss of his wedding ring, an acknowledgment to his wife Mamen Sanz. They have four sons: Jorge (February 25, 2000), named after Jorge Valdano, Hugo (November 20, 2002), named after Raúl's childhood hero Hugo Sánchez 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.
Honors
Club
Honors- La Liga: (5) : 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007
- Spanish Super Cup: (3) : 1997, 2001 and 2003
- UEFA Champions League: (3) : 1998, 2000 and 2002
- European Super Cup: (1) : 2002
- European/South American Cup: (2) : 1998 and 2002
- Spanish Super Cup: (3) : 1997, 2001 and 2003
- UEFA Champions League: (3) : 1998, 2000 and 2002
- European Super Cup: (1) : 2002
- European/South American Cup: (2) : 1998 and 2002
Individual
- Pichichi Trophy: : 1999 and 2001
- Copa de Su Majestad el Rey Top Scorer: 2003-2004
- Spanish Player of the Year: : 1996-97 season
- UEFA Club Football Awards Best Forward: : 2000, 2001 and 2003
- Intercontinental Cup Man of the Match: 1998
- IFFHS World Goalgetter: 1999
- Spanish outstanding sportsman: 2000
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 1999-2000, 2000-2001
- Royal Order's gold medal for Sports Merit: 2006
- Bronze Boot of Europe: 1999, 2001
- FIFA World Player of the Year, Bronze award: 2001
- European Footballer of the Year, Silver award: 2001
- Copa de Su Majestad el Rey Top Scorer: 2003-2004
- Spanish Player of the Year: : 1996-97 season
- UEFA Club Football Awards Best Forward: : 2000, 2001 and 2003
- Intercontinental Cup Man of the Match: 1998
- IFFHS World Goalgetter: 1999
- Spanish outstanding sportsman: 2000
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 1999-2000, 2000-2001
- Royal Order's gold medal for Sports Merit: 2006
- Bronze Boot of Europe: 1999, 2001
- FIFA World Player of the Year, Bronze award: 2001
- European Footballer of the Year, Silver award: 2001
Achievements
- Scored the 800th goal in Spain's national team history, March 27, 1999 vs Austria national football team- Scored the 900th goal in Spain's national team history, September 7, 2002 vs Greece national football team
- 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
- UEFA Champions League all-time leading scorer with 57 goals
- 2 goals in 3 UEFA Champions League Finals
- Highest goal scorer against Barcelona in the history of Real Madrid (10 goals)
- Has never been booked in 30 months and has never been sent off at professional level
- 8º top scorer of all times of the spanish league (188): 1 Zarra 251, 2 Hugo Sánchez 234, 3 Di Stéfano 227, 4 César 225, 5 Quini 219, 6 Pahíño 210, 7 Mundo 195, 8 Raúl 188
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