Raul had already cemented himself in Real Madrid history for the plethora of trophies that have arrived at the Bernabeu. The trio of Champions League titles, together with six LA Liga titles and four Spanish Super Cups has made the Spaniard one of the most successful players for Los Blancos. Yet in Soria this weekend, Raul Gonzalez equalled the goal-scoring record of Real’s greatest ever player and a genius who is considered by some to be the greatest of all time. Raul did so by scoring the winner in the away game to Numancia. Robben got the second, assisted by a Raul pass.

Alfredo di Stefano was a part of the most successful era in Real Madrid history, where the club won European Cup after European Cup between 1955 and 1960. The ‘Blond Arrow’ was known for his versatility and ability to cover any position on the pitch and scored 307 goals during his spell at the Madrid club. But on Saturday, Raul equalled this record with a typical finish. While he may not be as effective in recent years, (being overplayed in his early years at the club means he has lost his legs) the striker gives his all in every game. Even if he is often anonymous in impact, the effort is always there.

Alfredo di Stefano told AS prior to the club’s game away to Numancia that he is delighted about Raúl having the chance to match or even break his goal-scoring record.

“How can something like this bother me? I am very happy for Raul. He is a wonderful kid that has always defended the Club. It is an extraordinary success for him to have scored so many goals. He is a formidable player, a great professional that takes care of himself.”
“Raul deserves a lot of merit for staying so long on one team; it isn’t as easy now as it used to be. I think his greatest virtue is his character. He knows how to overcome adversity. He isn’t a natural striker or a great defender, but he works hard all over the pitch, running up and down all the time. He helps the team out and he scores goals. He is a true club player. I also considered myself a team player, but there is a lot of merit in being one nowadays.”

“Raul always knows what he has to do. That’s why he still plays for Real Madrid. Every coach that joins the Club uses him because he is better than the rest. Comradeship is very important in football; it is very important to know each other off the pitch. Sometimes you know what your team-mates want just by looking at them.”

The famous disagreements with Ronaldo and his laid-back style occurred in a trough in the Captain’s career, where he was pushed into a midfield role to accommodate the Galacticos in an unbalanced formation. The political role of the Spaniard at the club is also widely recognised, with the Captain, alongside Michel Salgado and Guti having the same power as a board member in any vote concerning the club. It was suspected that the trio helped in the removal of Bernd Schuster.

Raul may have further antagonised any strained relations between Madrid and Catalan players while in the Spanish national team, and thus an absence of any political players in last summer’s squad is a reason for a closer group and better team spirit, contributing to the nation’s ability to finally utilise their talent and technical ability into victory. According to Spanish sources, Raul even stopped a move for Valencia striker David Villa, because the attacker would be a threat to his starting spot in the side.

It has worked so far. Raul has been ever-present in Real’s team of late and had undergone a renaissance with Ruud van Nistlerooy playing alongside him, scoring 19 goals last season. After the game in Soria, Raul said:

“I am very happy, and I hope to pass the record in the coming games.

This has been possible because of all the great coaches and players I have played with at Real Madrid.”

So what was Raul’s best goal in a white shirt? Since his move from the disbanded Atletico Madrid youth team, there have been some spectacular goals. His two favourite goals are:

Real Madrid 2 Vasco da Gama 1 1998 (National Stadium, Tokyo, 83 minutes)

“It had been an even match; the score was 1-1 with seven minutes left, when I received a long pass from Clarence Seedorf. I controlled the ball before it hit the ground, turned 180 degrees and as the defender passed me like a cannon, I headed for goal. I felt another player closing in, saw him out of the corner of my eye so dribbled to the left, moved the ball from my left foot to my right and hit it to the right of the keeper”

Real Madrid 3 Valencia 0 2000 (Stade de France, Paris, 75 minutes)

“This was another key goal for me. I received the ball in our half, after a corner, 50 metres or more away from their goalkeeper. I thought they’d be defenders in front of me, but as I started running, there was nobody between myself and Santiago Canizares. When I got into the box I turned to my right, although I’ mostly left-footed, as Canizares knows me from his time at real, so I decided to do something he wouldn’t expect. I thought of lifting the ball over his head, but knew he would have guessed it, so I just hit it. I could feel the defender Miroslav Djukic’s breath on my neck, but he couldn’t save it. Talking about it afterwards, someone told me it was the perfect example of controlled running with the ball”

With the milestone equalled, Raul will get the chance to surpass di Stefano against Racing Santander on February 8^th. After his side recorded a sixth successive win and cut the cut to nine points against an imperious Barca side, winning the title this season would surely be Real’s biggest achievement in recent years. And while there are games to be played, you can bet your house that with their captain, Madrid will not give in until the final seconds.