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Spanish Inquisition: The Legacy Of Raul Madrid
Goal.com’s Cyrus C. Malek reflects on the career of a man who personifies all that is Real Madrid…
| Bet: | Returns: | CSKA Moscow £70.00 | Draw £37.50 | Real Madrid £14.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | CSKA Moscow £65.00 | Draw £40.00 | Real Madrid £14.40 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | CSKA Moscow £65.00 | Draw £40.00 | Real Madrid £14.44 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | CSKA Moscow £75.00 | Draw £43.30 | Real Madrid £14.40 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | CSKA Moscow £62.00 | Draw £39.50 | Real Madrid £14.50 |
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Jul 27, 2010 12:00:00 PM
By Cyrus C. Malek
Every team have their talisman - the player who symbolises the principles and values of his club, the man who embodies his club’s spirit, the leader who wears the captain’s armband and heads his team not just by way of words, but also by example.
For Real Madrid, that man is Raul Gonzalez Blanco.
For Los Blancos, Raul was, of course, a player of historic quality, breaking nearly every record at a club that set the gold standard for exceptional footballers with players like Alfredo Di Stefano, Emilio Butragueño, Michel, and Hugo Sanchez. From being the youngest player to ever play for the Blanco senior side (17 yrs, 4 months) to holding the record as the Champions League’s top scorer, not to mention finishing his career as Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer, Raul has etched his name into the very foundation of the Santiago Bernabeu’s edifice.
For his country, success was no harder to come by. Although David Villa is fast approaching the mark, Raul continues to hold the record as Spain’s top scorer in international competition and, quite frankly, it remains a flabbergasting mystery, if not highway robbery, that the now-former Madrid captain did not secure a Ballon D’Or trophy in his career despite a trophy case full of personal and collective accolades. His highest finish in the voting came in 2001 when he finished second to Liverpool’s Michael Owen.
But while his exploits on the pitch are well known and documented, where Los Blancos will miss Raul most of all, especially given the fact that his 33 year old legs can no longer carry him through the pace and power of elite play demanded at Real Madrid, is in the contributions he makes off the field of play.
Among athletes in the modern game, it is difficult to find players who comport themselves with true class. In the age of Ronaldos, Ibrahimovics, Robinhos, Balotellis and others, showboating and ostentatious demonstrations have become the norm of professional football and modesty has given way to shameless - albeit entertaining - acts of self-promotion.
But aside from the swarm of cameras, one would never know Raul to be a professional athlete, let alone a superstar who will go down in history as one of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen.
An even-keeled, soft-spoken man who even errs on the side of shyness, Raul is the quintessential caballero [gentleman], taking his ambassadorial role as Madrid’s representative to the world as a brand of his stately character and taking it upon himself to serve as the reference for such rare qualities as virtue and honour.
It says something of a man when arguably the most provocative thing Raul has done over his 16-year tenure at Real Madrid is shush the Camp Nou after scoring a goal against Barcelona in El Clasico. Despite that isolated instance of hubris, even the most die-hard Blaugrana supporter cannot help but admire and respect Raul for his air of humility, allowing others to praise him in lieu of buffing his own image.
When Spain coach Luis Aragones made the decision to drop Raul form La Seleccion, Raul remained respectful and uncontroversial, even going so far as to cheerlead for La Roja as they went on to win the Euro 2008 trophy and subsequently the World Cup crown.
Even his style of scoring goals reflects his class as a man. When watching a highlight reel of his most memorable goals, one rarely sees Raul burst the back of the net with powerful shots. Instead, one is treated to an assortment of sublimely measured chips, deft touches around goalkeepers, and casual tap-ins that make one wonder how a man of such relatively slight stature found so much space at the far post with such consistency.
A leader in the front line, it was always Raul encouraging his fellow attackers to pressure the opposing team into relinquishing possession - even doing so from the bench. Yet even in the heat of competition, the captain always remained true to the principles of sport and fair play, never once being shown a red card.
On the pitch, he competed until his last breath and even when completely winded, he would make sure to jog off, ensuring that the captain’s armband for which he held such reverence was respectfully passed on to the appropriate player - in the past few seasons one could even see Raul rolling the armband up Iker Casillas’ sleeve himself before making way for his replacement.
And in a final demonstration of his commitment to the club, Raul scored his last goal for Los Blancos after having picked up a knee injury that would see him substituted moments afterward and keep him from returning to the pitch in a white shirt.
But as they always do, all things must eventually come to an end. After 16 illustrious years during which he lifted 16 trophies, Raul closes his chapter in the Spanish capital. But rest assured, he will only be away for a few years. Some may criticise the Madrid hierarchy for discharging 'El Siete', but the truth is that Raul’s departure, however lamentable, is simply a natural evolution that every footballer takes in the twilight of his career. Di Stefano did it, Butragueño did it, Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola did it, and now Raul has done it.
In the end, whether he is in the squad or not, Raul remains Real Madrid’s Gran Capitan - an undying symbol of all that which is Real Madrid - class, modesty, nobility, sportsmanship, professionalism, and above all, an undying will to compete and succeed.
With his departure, Raul may permanently hand the captain’s armband off to Iker Casillas. But in his absence, before and well after he returns to the Bernabeu to once again join his club either as a director or even as a coach, Real Madrid is, and will always remain at the very core, Raul Madrid.
For Real Madrid, that man is Raul Gonzalez Blanco.
For Los Blancos, Raul was, of course, a player of historic quality, breaking nearly every record at a club that set the gold standard for exceptional footballers with players like Alfredo Di Stefano, Emilio Butragueño, Michel, and Hugo Sanchez. From being the youngest player to ever play for the Blanco senior side (17 yrs, 4 months) to holding the record as the Champions League’s top scorer, not to mention finishing his career as Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer, Raul has etched his name into the very foundation of the Santiago Bernabeu’s edifice.
For his country, success was no harder to come by. Although David Villa is fast approaching the mark, Raul continues to hold the record as Spain’s top scorer in international competition and, quite frankly, it remains a flabbergasting mystery, if not highway robbery, that the now-former Madrid captain did not secure a Ballon D’Or trophy in his career despite a trophy case full of personal and collective accolades. His highest finish in the voting came in 2001 when he finished second to Liverpool’s Michael Owen.
But while his exploits on the pitch are well known and documented, where Los Blancos will miss Raul most of all, especially given the fact that his 33 year old legs can no longer carry him through the pace and power of elite play demanded at Real Madrid, is in the contributions he makes off the field of play.
Among athletes in the modern game, it is difficult to find players who comport themselves with true class. In the age of Ronaldos, Ibrahimovics, Robinhos, Balotellis and others, showboating and ostentatious demonstrations have become the norm of professional football and modesty has given way to shameless - albeit entertaining - acts of self-promotion.
But aside from the swarm of cameras, one would never know Raul to be a professional athlete, let alone a superstar who will go down in history as one of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen.
An even-keeled, soft-spoken man who even errs on the side of shyness, Raul is the quintessential caballero [gentleman], taking his ambassadorial role as Madrid’s representative to the world as a brand of his stately character and taking it upon himself to serve as the reference for such rare qualities as virtue and honour.
It says something of a man when arguably the most provocative thing Raul has done over his 16-year tenure at Real Madrid is shush the Camp Nou after scoring a goal against Barcelona in El Clasico. Despite that isolated instance of hubris, even the most die-hard Blaugrana supporter cannot help but admire and respect Raul for his air of humility, allowing others to praise him in lieu of buffing his own image.
When Spain coach Luis Aragones made the decision to drop Raul form La Seleccion, Raul remained respectful and uncontroversial, even going so far as to cheerlead for La Roja as they went on to win the Euro 2008 trophy and subsequently the World Cup crown.
Even his style of scoring goals reflects his class as a man. When watching a highlight reel of his most memorable goals, one rarely sees Raul burst the back of the net with powerful shots. Instead, one is treated to an assortment of sublimely measured chips, deft touches around goalkeepers, and casual tap-ins that make one wonder how a man of such relatively slight stature found so much space at the far post with such consistency.
A leader in the front line, it was always Raul encouraging his fellow attackers to pressure the opposing team into relinquishing possession - even doing so from the bench. Yet even in the heat of competition, the captain always remained true to the principles of sport and fair play, never once being shown a red card.
On the pitch, he competed until his last breath and even when completely winded, he would make sure to jog off, ensuring that the captain’s armband for which he held such reverence was respectfully passed on to the appropriate player - in the past few seasons one could even see Raul rolling the armband up Iker Casillas’ sleeve himself before making way for his replacement.
And in a final demonstration of his commitment to the club, Raul scored his last goal for Los Blancos after having picked up a knee injury that would see him substituted moments afterward and keep him from returning to the pitch in a white shirt.
But as they always do, all things must eventually come to an end. After 16 illustrious years during which he lifted 16 trophies, Raul closes his chapter in the Spanish capital. But rest assured, he will only be away for a few years. Some may criticise the Madrid hierarchy for discharging 'El Siete', but the truth is that Raul’s departure, however lamentable, is simply a natural evolution that every footballer takes in the twilight of his career. Di Stefano did it, Butragueño did it, Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola did it, and now Raul has done it.
In the end, whether he is in the squad or not, Raul remains Real Madrid’s Gran Capitan - an undying symbol of all that which is Real Madrid - class, modesty, nobility, sportsmanship, professionalism, and above all, an undying will to compete and succeed.
With his departure, Raul may permanently hand the captain’s armband off to Iker Casillas. But in his absence, before and well after he returns to the Bernabeu to once again join his club either as a director or even as a coach, Real Madrid is, and will always remain at the very core, Raul Madrid.
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Goal.com Poll
Poll runs from Jul 27, 2010 to Aug 24, 2010
Poll runs from Jul 27, 2010 to Aug 24, 2010
Should Raul Return To Coach Real Madrid?
Yes, he should become Madrid's Pep Guardiola
83.51%
No, he should leave his history at the club untarnished
16.49%
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