Real Madrid Legend Raul set to leave
Real Madrid have confirmed that their all time top scorer, Raul, is set to leave the club after spending 16 years at the Spanish giants. Although it has not yet been confirmed where Raul is going to go after he leaves Madrid, reports have suggested that he is going to be making his way to Germany where he will play for Schalke.
Raul has been one of the most prolific strikers in world football for over a decade and is one of the most highly decorated Real Madrid players. In his first ever season at the club, at just 17 years of age; Raul scored 9 goals to help Real Madrid win the league championship.
During his time at the club, Raul has managed to score 228 goals in 550 appearances, making him the all time leading goal scorer at the club. Raul is also the Captain of Real Madrid and is believed to be one of the most influential people at the club, with Presidents and other officials at the club seeking his advice on matters relating to the running of the club.
Raul signed a contract for life at the club in 2008, which meant that he would get a contract extension every season as long as he keeps making 30 appearances during the course of a season, and although the forward managed to get that last season, it seems that after the arrival of new manager Jose Mourinho and a host of expensive signings, there is no place for the influential striker in the team. Raul becomes the second Real legend to leave the team after Guti earlier announced that he would be departing the club for the Turkish club Besiktas.
Raul who is the leading goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League, will be sorely missed by the Real Madrid fans will be given a heroes farewell as he ends his journey at the biggest football club in the world. There is a farewell party planned for the former Spanish International, which will be held at the Estadio Bernabeu, will be attended by other Real Legends such as Zinedine Zidane, Guti and Fernando Hierro along with the club President Florentino Perez. The party will be followed by a press conference in which Raul is going to make a statement as well as the President, which is likely to be thanking the player for his phenomenal service to the club.
The departure marks the end of an era of the club, and the beginning of a new one with Jose Mourinho at the helm. A number of high quality young players have been brought to the club including Benzema, Ronaldo, Di Maria, Diarra and even Kaka. It looks like Real are trying to build a new squad around these young players and it has been decided to get the old guard to make way for these youngsters. Whether the players will be able to give the President Perez the instant success he is hoping for remains to be seen. He has taken a huge gamble with the astonishing amounts of money spent on transfers and the Madrid fans will be hoping it pays off, and soon.
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