Felix Magath: Raul will be big hit at Schalke
Schalke manager Felix Magath has spoken of his belief that Raul Gonzalez Blanco will be a big hit at the club.
The Real Madrid legend left the Bernebau in the summer to join the Bundesliga side, and Magath told AS that the Spanish striker had adapted well to life in Germany while also praising the 33-year-old’s work ethic and personality.
Magath said that: "Not that it surprised me, because he is known for his personality, but it really impressed me to see a player of his resume that keeps training as if he were still young. He's going for broke."
'Fans delighted'
The coach, who joined Schalke last year after leading Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title, revealed that Raul had quickly settled into life in Gelsenkirchen and had already established a strong rapport with the fans. He said that: “The fans are delighted with him. It is an incredible thing; his colleagues immediately recognised him as a leader. His adaptation is magnificent.”
Despite being in the latter stages of his career, Raul is looking to become an important player for Schalke and Magath added that he believed the player would prove to be a big success for his team. He said that: “I'm sure he is not going to fail. He still has the competitive spirit that made him great at Real Madrid."
Prior to joining Schalke, Raul had spent his entire career at Madrid and had become one of the club’s greatest ever players. He is the La Liga giants’ all-time leading goalscorer with 323 goals from 740 games in total. He won the Spanish league six times with the club, and also enjoyed three UEFA Champions League victories, four Supercopa de Espana triumphs and wins in the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup. He is also the all-time top scorer for Spain with 44 goals.
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