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Seven for No. 7: Raúl’s Remarkable Career

The “Eterno Capitán” of Real Madrid is one of Spain’s most celebrated soccer stars. Take a look at seven noteworthy achievements, past and present, in his career.
Published Nov 14, 2015

FIRST REAL MADRID GOAL | 1994-95

An Atlético Madrid fan as a youngster and a trainee in their youth system, Raúl had no choice but to leave when president Jesus Gil closed the academy as a cost-saving measure. How Los Rojiblancos  would come to rue that decision, as he went on to become one of the greatest ever players for their bitter cross-city rivals, scoring his first Real goal against them to rub salt into the wound. Real went on to win La Liga that season, the first of six Spanish championships for Raúl.

SPANISH NATIONAL TEAM | 1996-2006

Raúl scored a then-record 44 goals in 102 games for Spain, appearing in three World Cups and two European Championships, also earning the captaincy.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | REAL MADRID, 1998, 2000, 2002

The forward lifted Europe's top prize three times with Real Madrid, scoring in the latter two finals, against Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen. Only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more Champions League goals than his 71 in 142 games, a superb record of a goal every other game.

DI STEFANO'S RECORD | REAL MADRID, 2009

Raúl surpassed the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano's record of 307 Real Madrid goals in 2009, a record that had stood for 45 years. He ended up with 323 in 741 games, also making him the club's all-time record appearance holder. Cristiano Ronaldo recently surpassed his goal record.

DFB-POKAL | FC SCHALKE 04, 2010-11

The Spaniard never won the domestic cup with Real, but managed it on his first attempt with Schalke. They beat second-tier club Duisburg 5-0 in the final, and Raúl had scored the only goal of the semifinal against Bayern Munich.

CUBA | NEW YORK COSMOS, 2015

There are few parts of the world Raúl has not visited for soccer, but none could have been as overwhelming and historic as the Cosmos' friendly match in Havana this past June. They were the first U.S. sports team to travel to Cuba since President Obama relaxed the embargo, and the first pro soccer team since 1978. Raúl played the full 90 minutes as the Cosmos beat the national team 4-1.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINAL | NEW YORK COSMOS, 2015

A goal down against Fort Lauderdale Strikers at MCU Park, it looked like the curtain might be about to come down on Raúl's glorious career. Gastón Cellerino leveled for the Cosmos though, and after the break Raúl showed his usual close control and finishing ability to win the game, ensuring one more shot at glory.