Raul, Lord of The Rings

Raul, who was born in Madrid, dreamt when he was a child, to play in the Atletico Madrid football team. He would have come close to fulfilling his dream but Jesus Gil, president of Atletico Madrid, supressed these junior teams because of financial difficulties..and Raul therefore slipped through his fingers..

In retrospect, Gil, as well as many supporters of Atletico, probably regretted it.

And therefore, Real Madrid took him under their wings. That is how Real and Raul started their magnificent journey together. Thanks to the trust of Jorge Valdano, Raul made his debut against Zaragoza at the age of 17 years and 5 months, on 10/29/94. Though he didn't manage to score a goal then, he scored his first..against Atletico. Talk about sweet revenge!!

During the 94/95 season, Raul scored 9 goals in 28 games, which helped Real win their la liga. Almost 18 years old, Raul becomes a Spanish Champion AND a regular player in the Real Madrid first team. UNBELIEVABLE!!

The following season, 95/96, Raul first confirmed his breaking into la liga by scoring 19 goals in 40 games..then revealing himself on the European stage by scoring 6 goals during the Champions League, including a hat-trick against Ferenkvaros on 10/18/95.

In rhe 96/97 season, Raul made what is probably his most acomplished season. Under the direction of Capello, the young prodigy went back to the post of left offensive midfielder. Raul scored 21 times and offered about 15 assists to his team mates in 42 games.

On 6/14/97, 10 days before Raul's 20th birthday, Real clinched the position of Spanish Champions..against Atletico Madrid. Raul scores an awesome goal druing the game.

The most telling game revealing the importance of Raul had gained in La liga was undoubtedly Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid on 1/19/97. Then Real, led by one goal at half-time, eventually wins 4-1. Rauls makes 2 assists and scored 2 goals, one of which is a true piece of art. The new star of Real Madrid receives the ball at 35 meters from the enemy's goal.. After he has dribbled past 4 defenders, Raul outwits the Atletico goalkeepers by striking in an impossible angle. What a masterpiece!!

On 9/10/96, Raul made his debut in the Spanish national team, vs Czech Republic. It was a draw. (0-0). On 14/12/96, vs Yugoslavia, Raul scored his first goal in the national team. He participated in the long Spanish invincibilty which ultimately ended on 1/28/98...against France.

Raul ends the year 1997 at the 5th place of FIFA's best world player table, and at the 7th at the Golden Ball's table (Balon de Oro) at the age of 20. Yet the remaining season was painful for Raul who was unable to get rid of a tenacious pubalgia. From January to May 1998, Raul consequently scored ony 3 goals in 17 games played in the Liga.

But even more so, it was Raul's play which suffered most, notably his legendary combativeness, triggering the incomprehension of the Spanish press who went mad against poor Raul.

That did not prevent Real Madrid to win their 7th Champions League title. Raul played 7 games and only manage to score 2 goals.

During the 1998 World Cup games in France, Raul, still weakend by his pubalgia, did not shine, except for his goal against Nigeria.. The Spanish team was to be eliminated in the first round of the competition. 1998 and 1999 was the "goal season" for Raul. He scored 30 goals in 47 gamesin all championships taken together, an average of 0.64 goals. In the national championship, (la liga) he ends up being the "pichichi" (best striker) for the first time in his career with 25 goals and also won the Bronze boot.

03/27/99 is a historic date for Raul. It was a qualifying game for the Euro2000 championship against Austria. Raul makes the perfect game, scoring 4 goals and making 3 assists which Spain eventually won 9-0.

It was also during this season that Raul, recently engaged, invents a now famous gesture after every one of his goals: he kisses hi engagement ring..which becomes a wedding ring on 6/30/99 when he weds Mamen Sanz.

In 1999/2000, Real Madrid wins their 8th Champions league cup after beating Valencia 3-0 in France. Raul was extraordinary during the whole competition!!

Raul ends up best striker of the competition with 10 goals and receives the UEFA award for best European forward.

On 04/15/2000, another event takes place in Raul's career: He scored his 100th goal in La liga at the age of 22 years vs Zaragoza. The club which he made his first debut in 5 1/2 years ago. A nice way to score your 100th goal..

Raul has everything to be happy, people are seeing him winning the Golden Ball (Balon de' Oro) and...everything collapses during the Euro2000.

Raul is exhausted by the 75 games or so he played in all championships take together this season. His legendary combativeness is affected.

Despite a few good games in the first few rounds of the Euro and a lovely goal vs Slovenia, the remaining part turns out to be a nightmare for Raul. He missed a last minute penalty which would have allowed Spain to come back 2-2 vs France, and became the scapegoat for the failure of his team.

It is during a match played vs Rayo Vallencio, that Raul finds his way back to the characteristic class with this extraordinary goal: following a pass by Hierro, he makes a superb control, lobs the goalkeeper with his right foot and finally shoots with his left even before the ball touches the ground.

On 02/28/2001, at the age of 23 years and 8 months, Raul becomes the bets active striker in the Spanish championship with 113 goals. Thanks to all these goals, Raul becomes "pichichi" once again for the 2nd time with 24 goals and again receiving the Bronze boot.

He also became European Best Forward for the second time in the Champions League with 7 goals. Raul again won the award again for the third year running in the year 2000.

The World Cup in Japan and South Korea started well for Spain and Raul. During the first round, Spain won its first three matches, during which, Raul played excellently, and scored three goals (1 against Slovenia and 2 against South Africa). Unfortunately, during the Round of 16, against the Republic of Ireland, Raul was injured and missed out for the Quarter-final against South Korea. Raul's absence, coupled with disastrous refereeing, was sorely missed by the Spaniards, who were eliminated on penalties.

Real Madrid began their season quite well, with a victory in the UEFA Super Cup against Feyenoord, with Real running out victors by three goals to one.

Raul, whose mind was unfocussed due to rumours circulating around his team-mate and friend, Fernando Morientes. The rumours revolved around Ronaldo’s imminent move to the Bernabeu, and linked Morientes to, of all places, Barcelona! Consequently, Raul started the game rather sluggishly. His mind was allowed to wander, and he could not show the natural ability that made him one of the most prolific in Real Madrid history. Raul gradually became more dominant after half-time, as Real dominated the remainder of the game. It transpired that Raul was wearing two shirts that evening: his own, and that of Morientes, to whom he would have devoted a goal, who was feared would never play for Real again.

Raul missed almost all the beginning of the season through injury: muscular damage and gastroenteritis. Indeed, he took a full month and a half to recover (even disregarding the time required to return to full form). Without their talisman, Real do not show their obvious class in La Liga or the Champions League. After six games, their record read “2 victories, 3 draws, 1 defeat”: not exactly stirring stuff for the Real Madrid faithful.

On February 12th 2003, the Spanish national side played against Germany, and their captain bagged his 30th and 31st goals for his country. This feat made him the best striker in the history of the Spanish national team.

Over the following weeks, Real and Raul put in some excellent league performances, but also exhilarated fans in the Champions League. Raul showed off his prowess in the opposition penalty area against Dortmund (1 goal), AC Milan (2 goals), and Manchester United (2 goals). Unfortunately, Raul’s flamboyant performances were halted when he contracted appendicitis, which kept him out of action for 3 weeks.

During Raul’s period of absence, Real lost the return match against Manchester United in the Quarterfinal of the Champions League (4-3), and lost ground at the top of La Liga, where they trailed Real Sociedad by four points.

In the Semi-Final of the Champions League, Real Madrid (missing Claude Makelele, and with Raul struggling to regain fitness immediately after his illness) were eliminated by Juventus, of Turin. Even if Real were not at full-strength, the team was not balanced, and this was the main cause of Real’s defeat, against a well-organised and well-rounded Juve side.

After the return of the prodigy, Real played five games in La Liga, winning four of them, and drawing the other. Raul notched up 5 goals in this period (see the goal against Celta Vigo here, and the goal against Atlético Madrid here). Thanks to this end-of-season flourish, Real overtook Real Sociedad at the top of the table, and clinched the Spanish Championship for 2002-3. This was the fourth La Liga title of Raul’s illustrious career.