Raúl's career began at his local team CDSan Cristóbal de los Ángeles playing for theirAlevín team and theInfantil the next season.[8][9] He signed withAtlético Madrid'sInfantil team and won a national title with theCadete team the following season. Following Atlético's then-presidentJesús Gil decision to close their youth academy as a cost-saving measure, Raúl moved on toReal Madrid'sCadete team inLa Fábrica. The following season, he was promoted to theJuvenil C team and subsequently went on to play for theirJuvenil B andJuvenil A team.[10] While with the Real youth set-up, Raúl won theDallas Cup in 1993 and 1994.[11]
He first started his professional career in the 1994–95 season withReal Madrid C.[12] He scored 16 goals in just nine games (including five in one match againstCD Corralejo) and was swiftly promoted to the first team by coachJorge Valdano, replacingEmilio Butragueño in a symbolic "passing of the crown."[citation needed] He became the youngest player – 17 years and 124 days – ever to play for the senior side, though the record was broken byAlberto Rivera later that same season. On 29 October 1994, in an away game againstReal Zaragoza atLa Romareda, he created a goal for strike partnerIván Zamorano, heralding the demise of Butragueño in the process.[citation needed] The next week, Raúl scored his first goal in his second senior game on ahome debut against Madrid rivals and former youth clubAtlético Madrid in a bitterderby match.[13] Fully establishing himself as a fixture in the first team, Raúl registered a total of nine goals in 28 appearances to help Real Madrid win the1994–95 league championship in his first season.
Raúl wore the number 7 shirt forReal Madrid between 1996 and 2010.[14]
With Real Madrid, he won several honours at the club, including further La Liga titles in1996–97 (scoring 21 La Liga goals),2000–01 (scoring 24 La Liga goals), and2002–03 (scoring 16 La Liga goals in a campaign truncated by a bout ofappendicitis for which Raúl was hospitalised). During the period from 1998 to 2002, Raúl and Real Madrid also won threeUEFA Champions League trophies in1998,2000, and2002. For most of this time, Raúl struck up a prolific scoring partnership withFernando Morientes and laterRonaldo. During a La Liga game againstfierce rivals Barcelona at theNou Camp in October 1999, Raúl silenced the hostile home crowd of almost 100,000 fans when he scored and then memorably celebrated his goal by putting a finger to his lips as though to tell them to be quiet.[15][16] Raúl took over thecaptaincy of Real Madrid whenFernando Hierro was transferred in 2003, a responsibility he held until leaving the club in 2010. Despite appearing in two finals, in2002 (in which he scored) and2004, Raúl never lifted theCopa del Rey.
He became the first player to score 50 Champions League goals when he scored in a 2–1 group stage win overOlympiacos on 28 September 2005,[17] and was also the first to make 100 appearances in the competition.[18] He was also the first player to score in two Champions League finals, since the competition was renamed, scoring in the finals of both2000 againstValencia in theStade de France,Saint-Denis, and2002 againstBayer Leverkusen atHampden Park,Glasgow.
Raúl holds the distinction of having never beensent off in his 17 years at the professional level.[19] On 11 November 2008, Raúl scored his 300th goal for Real Madrid with a hat-trick againstReal Unión, with Real winning the match 4–3 but being eliminated onaway goals after drawing 6–6 on aggregate.[20] In total, Raúl scored 323 goals for Real Madrid, breaking the long-standing club record ofAlfredo Di Stéfano (307) with a volleyed goal againstSporting de Gijón on 15 February 2009. He is presently fifth on the all-time list ofLa Liga goalscorers, behind ArgentineLionel Messi, PortugueseCristiano Ronaldo, SpaniardTelmo Zarra and MexicanHugo Sánchez.[21]
Raúl gets substituted forCristiano Ronaldo, who would inherit the number 7 in the following season.
Raúl and fellow long-serving teammateIker Casillas were both awarded "contracts for life" in 2008, the terms of which stipulated that the contracts would be renewed annually for as long as they played 30 matches each season.[22] On 23 September 2009, Raúl equalledManolo Sanchís' league appearance record for Real Madrid,[23] and is second in La Liga behindAndoni Zubizarreta, who played in 622 matches.
Along with years of captaincy for both Real Madrid and Spain, Raúl was known as "El Capitán" ("The Captain").[24]
Raúl's last touch with the ball as a Real Madrid player before an injury ruled him out of action for the rest ofthat season was to score his last goal, the opening goal scored on 24 April 2010 in a 2–1 away victory againstReal Zaragoza inLa Romareda, coincidentally the stadium where he made his debut in 1994. It was scored in the 50th minute after Raúl (himself only on the pitch as a substitute forRafael van der Vaart after 15 minutes) had signalled he could not physically continue and was prepared to be substituted off forKarim Benzema one minute after the goal.[25] Before the substitution could be made, Real Madrid launched a counter-attack to create a goal. Though Raúl ran to a slow hobble, he shuffled into the box and was able to poke the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo's pass.
Having spent the rest of the season recovering from that injury, the club confirmed on 25 July 2010 that Raúl would be leaving the club, a day after his teammateGuti confirmed he was also leaving after a 15-year spell.[26]
Raúl in a training session withSchalke 04 in August 2011
Raúl signed a two-year contract withSchalke 04 on 28 July 2010. Schalke head coachFelix Magath hailed the signing and told the club website, "It's great news for FC Schalke 04, I am pleased that we have succeeded in signing such an exceptional footballer and world-classstriker switching to the Bundesliga for Schalke 04."[27] Raúl chose Schalke because they qualified for the2010–11 UEFA Champions League.[28]
Raúl scored his first goal for the club during his first match on 1 August 2010 with a brace in a 3–1 victory overBayern Munich in the final match of the pre-season competitionLIGA total! Cup2010. One week later, he made his competitive debut in the2010 DFL-Supercup on 7 August 2010 again against Bayern, but this time he failed to score in the 2–0 defeat. Raúl made hisBundesliga debut on 21 August 2010 in a 2–1 defeat againstHamburger SV.[29] and scored his first goal for Schalke in the Bundesliga againstBorussia Mönchengladbach on 25 September 2010 in a 2–2 draw.[30] After a quiet start, he rediscovered his goalscoring form in the Bundesliga with a brace againstFC St. Pauli on 5 November in a 3–0 win, and on 20 November, he scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 4–0 win overWerder Bremen. On 18 December, he scored his second hat-trick for Schalke in a 3–0 win against1. FC Köln.
Raúl with Schalke in 2011
Raúl scored another crucial goal on 2 March 2011 in a 1–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the semi-final of2010–11 DFB-Pokal. After being absent for six years, Schalke ultimately reached the finals since 2005. Inthe final match, they played againstMSV Duisburg, the first2. Bundesliga team which reached the final since 2004. Raúl never won a domestic cup with Real Madrid (theCopa del Rey), but on 21 May 2011, in his first season, he finally won a domestic cup and got his maiden trophy with his new club. They won the tournament with a 5–0 win at theOlympiastadion inBerlin. This success was followed with victory two months later on 23 July 2011 in the2011 DFL-Supercup against the league champions and rivalsBorussia Dortmund.
In European play, Raúl has since become the highest goalscorer in allUEFA competitions with 73 goals, ahead ofMilan veteranFilippo Inzaghi with 70 goals. He scored 71 goals in the Champions League (66 goals with Real Madrid and five with Schalke 04) and in addition his two goals withLos Blancos, one goal in the2000 UEFA Super Cup and the other one in the1998 Intercontinental Cup. On 22 October 2010, Raúl scored twice againstHapoel Tel Aviv in a 3–1 win, which tied him with German legendGerd Müller for the most European goals. Raúl fully broke this record on 15 February 2011 on his return to Spain with a crucial away goal in the round of 16 tie against Valencia at theMestalla Stadium in a 1–1 draw.
In the quarter-finals, Raúl scored two goals againstInternazionale: one goal in the first leg, a 5–2 away win at theSan Siro, and one in the second leg, a 2–1 home win at theVeltins-Arena. Schalke progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history, where they played againstManchester United. Schalke lost the first match 2–0, which was their first home defeat this season in the tournament, and lost again 4–1 inOld Trafford. Despite the defeat, Raúl considered it an honour that he had swapped shirts withRyan Giggs.[28] On 19 November 2011, he captained Schalke for the first time due to an injury toBenedikt Höwedes in a 4–0 home win against1. FC Nürnberg. He also scored the second goal and assisted the fourth in that match.
Raúl scored another hat-trick against Werder Bremen on 17 December 2011.[31] The goals came in a 5–0 win that cemented Schalke's position in third place going into the winter break.[32] On 19 February 2012, he scored the 400th goal of his career; at that time he had scored 323 with Real Madrid, 44 with Spain and 33 with Schalke.[33] On 5 April 2012, in the second leg of theUEFA Europa League match againstAthletic Bilbao, he scored his 77th goal in a European competition.
With his goal in the semifinals of the German Cup against Bayern Munich at theAllianz Arena, together with his team, he qualified for the final of said competition. His great performances in the European Cup this season earned him to be included in the best eleven of the competition awarded byUEFA.[34]
At a press conference on 19 April 2012, Raúl announced he would leave Schalke after his contract expired in June, and that "[his] future is not in Europe".[35] Raúl had such an impact at Schalke that, on his departure, the club opted to retire the number 7 shirt for an indefinite period.[36] However, in 2013, the number 7 shirt was given toMax Meyer, Schalke's new prodigy.[37]
On 22 August 2013, Raúl played for Real Madrid in the first half of theTrofeo Santiago Bernabéu and scored the first goal. He then played the second half for Al Sadd as Real Madrid won 5–0.[45] On 5 March 2014, Raúl announced he would retire from professional football at the end of the Qatari football season.[46]
On 30 October 2014, Raúl returned to professional football and signed with theNew York Cosmos in the United States.[47] He made hisNorth American Soccer League (NASL) debut on 4 April 2015 in a 1–0 win against theFort Lauderdale Strikers, partially owned by his former Real Madrid strike partner Ronaldo, leaving with a hamstring injury in the second half.[48] The following week, at theIndy Eleven, he scored his first goal to equalise in a 1–1 draw.[49] Raúl scored four times as the undefeated Cosmos won thespring season with five wins and five draws.[50]
On 16 October 2015, it was again announced Raúl would retire at the end of the season.[51] The Cosmos finished with the best regular season record, winning theNorth American Supporters' Trophy. On 7 November, he scored the winning goal as his team came from behind to win 2–1 against the Strikers in the semi-finals, earning a place atSoccer Bowl 2015, which they won 3–2 against theOttawa Fury eight days later. Raúl set up the third and final goal forGaston Cellerino's hat-trick.[52] He reiterated his decision to retire after the Soccer Bowl.[53]
Raúl began his Spain career at the youth level and represented thenation at the1995 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring three goals from five matches. He was also part of theunder-21 side that reached the final of the1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and even scored his side's temporary equaliser in the final, although he later missed his penalty in the resulting shoot-out, which was won byItaly.[54] In total, he scored 17 goals at the various youth levels for Spain.
With the senior team, Raúl went on for many years to score a national record 44 goals in 102 caps forSpain. However,David Villa later equaled Raúl's record in 2010 and surpassed it on 25 March 2011 in aUEFA Euro 2012 qualifier. Of his 44 international goals, Raúl scored 32 goals in competitive matches, six of which were in the finals of major tournaments and 12 from friendly matches. He is regarded as one of his nation's greatest ever players.[55][56]
On 27 March 1999, in aUEFA Euro 2000 qualifier, Raúl scored four goals in Spain's 9–0 rout ofAustria.[59] Four days later, he scored three goals in a 6–0 away win againstSan Marino during the same qualifying tournament.[60] On 5 June, against the same opponents inVillarreal, he was again on target in a 9–0 rout.[61] Raúl played every minute of Spain'sEuro 2000 finals campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands. He scored the first goal in their 2–1 win overSlovenia at theAmsterdam Arena.[62] Spain were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual championsFrance; Raúl missed a last minute penalty which would have taken the tie to extra-time.[63]
At the2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Raúl opened a 3–1 win over the Slovenes in Spain's firstGroup B match,[64] and added two more in a 3–2 win overSouth Africa inDaejeon to advance as group winners.[65] He suffered a groin injury in the round of 16 win over theRepublic of Ireland,[66] and missed the remainder of the tournament, in which Spain went out toSouth Korea in the quarter-finals.
On 7 September 2002, Raúl scored in a 2–0 away win overGreece inEuro 2004 qualifying, putting him on 29 goals in 56 international games, equalling the national goalscoring record set by the recently retiredFernando Hierro.[67] He broke the record on 12 February 2003 when he scored twice in a 3–1 friendly win overGermany atSon Moix inPalma,Mallorca.[68] He started every match at theEuro 2004 finals in Portugal, in which Spain crashed out at thegroup stage.
Raúl earned his 89th cap on 8 October 2005 in a 2–0 away win overBelgium in2006 World Cup qualifying, levelling with Hierro as Spain's most-capped outfield player.[69] However, he played less frequently across the campaign as new managerLuis Aragonés preferred to partner David Villa andFernando Torres.
At thefinal tournament in Germany, he came on at half-time forLuis García in the second group match inStuttgart, with Spain trailingTunisia 0–1. When goalkeeperAli Boumnijel could not retainCesc Fàbregas' shot in the 72nd minute, Raúl equalised from close range as Spain eventually won 3–1.[70]
On 15 August 2006, Raúl won his 100th cap for Spain, in a goalless friendly draw withIceland inReykjavík.[71] He was last chosen for the national team on 6 September, in a 3–2 defeat againstNorthern Ireland inBelfast, a match in which he hit the post late on.[72]
Aragonés and Raúl fell out after the Northern Ireland match, with the manager stating he would never choose Raúl again. The cause of friction was Aragonés's policy that all players had to sleep atMadrid–Barajas Airport after away games, so that those like Raúl who lived in the capital city would not have the privilege of returning home one night earlier.[73]
Raúl's team made the promotion playoffs in2021, losing to theseededIbiza after a goalless draw in the semi-finals.[77] He then talked down rumours that he would replace his former teammate Zinedine Zidane as first-team manager.[78]
Two years later, Castilla again made the playoffs, in the newPrimera Federación. The final againstEldense went to extra time and a 3–3 draw in the second leg, with the team from theValencian Community winning promotion due to a better regular season finish. Raúl's press conference after the game was cancelled for security reasons due to an invasion of the pitch and facilities by celebrating fans of the home team.[79]
On 27 May 2025, Raúl left as Castilla manager.[80]
Raúl executing abicycle kick for Real Madrid in 2009
Raúl is widely regarded as one of the greatest forwards of all time.[81][82][83][84][85][86] He wore the number 7 jersey for most of his career and mainly played as acentre-forward.[87] He was also capable of playing as anumber 10 behind the forwards.[88] Raúl was a left-footed player who was capable of scoring goals from any distance,[87] and he often scored goals usingchips.[89] He possessed excellent ball control, vision, and aerial ability.[87]
Although primarily renowned as a prolific goalscorer, Raúl was also a highly creative and hardworking player that was capable ofassisting teammates,[84][90] and he occasionally played as anattacking midfielder in his later career.[91]
In addition to these characteristics, Raúl is remembered for his leadership and discipline, as he never received a red card and he was rarely booked.[92][93][94] For his speed, elegance, and goalscoring, he was nicknamed "El Ferrari", or "The Ferrari," by compatriotFernando Hierro, another emblematic Real Madrid player.[95] He was also an accuratepenalty taker.[96] In 2013, former England centre-backRio Ferdinand praised Raúl for his clever movement off the ball, and his ability to exploit gaps in defenses, describing him as: "the most intelligent player [he'd] played against."[97]
Raúl has featured inPepsi commercials, including an advertisement for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, where he and other players includingDavid Beckham,Roberto Carlos, andGianluigi Buffon took on a team of Sumo players.[99]
Raúl features in EA Sports'FIFA video game series. His regulargoal celebration of kissing the ring finger – a show of affection to his wife – appears inFIFA 18; because of his celebration, he is also nicknamed "Lord of the Rings".[100][101]
Raúl married Mamen Sanz in 1999 and the couple have five children: Jorge, Hugo, Héctor, Mateo, and María.[102] Jorge and Hugo were both playing football in New York in 2016; Jorge atFordham Preparatory School,[103] and Hugo inNew York City FC's academy.[104] In 2022, his daughter Maria was signed by Real Madrid's U15 football team.[105]
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