Real Madrid legend Raul's sensational Schalke swansong

Raul may have been a living legend at Real Madrid, but he had just turned 33 and been deemed surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu by none other than Jose Mourinho. The 2009-10 season had not gone well for him; he struggled for both form and fitness, which is why he'd been relegated to the role of potential impact substitute long before his campaign was brought to a premature end by an ankle injury.

Madrid already had Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain on their books - and Raul had fallen behind all three of his fellow forwards in the pecking order. Things weren't going to change under Mourinho either.

Raul spoke just once with the Portuguese after his appointment as the club's new coach, but that was enough to convince him that his time was up. Mourinho made it clear to Madrid's all-time leading goal-scorer that he would see even less game time on his watch than he had under Manuel Pellegrini. "From that moment on, my mind was made up to look for a new challenge," Raul subsequently admitted.

Raul had been evaluating his future anyway, but the thought of leaving Madrid was a difficult one to process. The Spaniard has been lining out for Los Blancos' first team since the age of 17. During that time, he had broken nearly every record in the book and become club captain. Madrid was a part of him, and he was a part of Madrid.

As president Florentino Perez said, "There are many men who form part of the legend of Real Madrid, but few that are chosen to embody the club. Raul is one of them."

Raul was tired, though. Being the symbol of 'Madridismo' was taking its toll on him, professionally and personally. He was no longer enjoying his football. Of course, no longer being a certain starter played a part, but Raul had also been worn down by the weight of the captain's armband and all of the responsibilities that came with it.

"In the end, that saps your energy," he said. "I needed to be focused just on training and playing. I reached the point where I needed to escape." But to where?

There were plenty of lucrative offers on the table, including an unnamed Russian club, who reportedly told Raul to name his price. However, he wanted to continue playing at the highest level and it ultimately came down to a straight choice between the Premier League and the Bundesliga.

Raul had been to see his former Madrid team-mate Fernando Morientes play for Liverpool and loved the "special" atmosphere at Anfield - but it was Manchester United who seriously considered signing Raul.

"We do prefer to sign young players as a rule but when you get an opportunity to sign experience like that you've got to have a look at it," Sir Alex Ferguson subsequently admitted. "You can make exceptions for certain players, because experience is so valuable. We thought the same when we signed Michael Owen, who has been a terrific professional for us, and bringing in Raul would have been similar to when we managed to get Henrik Larsson for a short time a few years ago.

"It was obvious his time at Real Madrid had come to an end, but he certainly wasn't too old to be effective. We spoke to his agent about a possible move but we already had Javier Hernandez by then and, with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen available, we thought we could afford to let the chance pass.

"But if we hadn't had Michael at the club at the time, I might well have signed him."

Tottenham and Newcastle were also offering Raul the opportunity to experience the cut-and-thrust of English football, but he was drawn to Germany - and not just because of the fans. He was also "fascinated" by how "well-balanced" the Bundesliga was at the time.

In the end, though, the decisive factor was that Schalke tried harder than anyone else "to make me feel wanted" - and that was really what it was all about for Raul. After being sidelined by Madrid, he wanted to feel central to a sporting project - and Schalke were only to happy to oblige.

"It's great news for FC Schalke 04," coach Felix Magath told the club's website upon Raul's signing. "I'm delighted we've been able to inspire such an exceptional footballer and world-class striker to move to the Bundesliga and Schalke.

"Raul's qualities will help us move forward. His signing marks a decisive step in our efforts to strengthen and restructure our squad for the tasks ahead, and I look forward to working with such a likeable pro."

Raul would prove even more of a "likeable pro" than Schalke fans could have possibly imagined. The man was a global icon, easily one of the most famous faces in football at the time, and yet he could not have been more down to earth.

Raul was as humble as he was hard-working, with the added bonus that he could still score goals. He'd lost some of the pace that had made such a whirlwind in his teenage days, but his brain was as quick as ever, meaning his incredibly intelligent movement continued to create space for himself, and his team-mates.

As his striking team-mate Edu said, "Raul is a player who can always make the difference at this level." And that's exactly what he did for Schalke. Time and time again.

Raul's debut season at Schalke may have started slowly, but by Christmas he'd already bagged two Bundesliga hat-tricks. Not everyone around him was playing quite so well, though, and Magath was relieved of his duties on March 16, because while Schalke were going well in Europe, they were struggling domestically.

In that sense, Magath's successor, Ralf Rangnick, didn't change much, as the team limped home in 14th place in the Bundesliga. But that was partly due to the fact that they focused almost exclusively on the cup competitions during the business end of the season - and with good cause.

Having topped a Champions League group containing Lyon and Benfica, Schalke defeated Valencia 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16, with Raul netting the crucial equaliser in the first-leg draw at Mestalla. What followed in the quarter-finals, though, was truly remarkable.

Inter may have endured a dreadful start to the season under Mourinho's successor, Rafa Benitez, who was sacked just before Christmas, but the reigning champions had found their feet again under Leonardo and were heavy favourites going into their meeting with Schalke at San Siro.

However, Rangnick's men ran riot in Milan. Despite trailing twice on the night, they triumphed 5-2 thanks to another vital goal from Raul, who scored the go-ahead goal shortly after half-time. The Spain icon also broke the deadlock in the return leg at the Veltins-Arena as Schalke won 2-1 to prevail 7-3 on aggregate.

"Raul scores in training, he scores in matches, he's just an incredible player," Edu enthused.

Schalke's historic run to the semi-finals of the Champions League was ended by Ferguson's United but, thanks to a solitary strike from Raul against Bayern Munich, they still had a DFB-Pokal final to look forward to, in their final game of the season.

The veteran forward later called the 5-0 rout of Duisburg in Berlin as "the highlight" of his two-year spell with Schalke - but only from a sporting perspective. For Raul, the way in which he was embraced by the club and its supporters was "better than any title".

"When I came here in the summer of 2010," he explained, "I had left my home and my club behind. I didn’t fully know what to expect. Therefore, I'm just grateful for everything. I love Schalke like it's my own child. It's a well-run club but also a family and a family that I'm extremely proud to be a part of."

He meant it, too. His final game at the Veltins-Arena reduced him to tears because "of emotions deep inside that you can't even express in words".

Schalke had essentially put a smile back on Raul's face, made him feel "like a little boy again", playing solely for the love of the game. "These two years have been absolutely outstanding," he said. "I will never forget them. And, maybe the fans won't forget me that quickly either."

There was never any risk of that happening. After all, very few players end up in the stands - as Raul did after the epic elimination of Inter back in 2010. And when Schalke were relegated in 2021, Raul sent his support, declaring himself, "Blue and white for life!"

And no wonder: he may have been a living legend in Madrid, but Raul really was reborn in Gelsenkirchen.