40 shades of white: Raul Gonzalez Blanco
Life after Madrid
Raul joined Schalke from Madrid in 2010, as he would score 40 goals in just two season in Germany, teaming up with former teammate Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to lead Schalke to a German Cup win and a Champions League semi-final berth. After an emotional testimonial, he moved to Qatari side Al Sadd, leading them to a league title in 2013. He joined his last club, New York Cosmos in 2014 and played one season there. His last game was a win in the final of the Soccer Bowl, his 23rd career honor. In November 2015, Raul Gonzalez Blanco retired from football. He had just turned 39.
I finish this article with a quote from Jorge Valdano, the man who gave Raul his debut all those years ago. This quote describes Raul more eloquently than I could and who better to give a conclusion on everything about Raul’s glimmering career than the man who started it all:
"“If you wrote a list of Raúl’s qualities, it would be a list of the values of Real Madrid. He is the Di Stéfano of our time. He is the people, the incarnation of Madridismo.”"
Next: Could Mariano Diaz be leaving Real Madrid this summer?