Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer before Ronaldo and the most important Spanish striker of his generation.
Raúl González Blanco was born in Madrid in 1977 and began at Atlético Madrid B (1992–94) before Real Madrid signed him in 1994. He spent 16 years at the club (1994–2010), making 741 appearances, scoring 323 goals and providing 170 assists — the club's all-time leading scorer until Ronaldo surpassed him. He won 3 Champions Leagues and 6 La Liga titles. He earned 102 Spain caps scoring 44 goals — the national record until David Villa surpassed him. He moved to Schalke (2010–12) where he reached the Champions League semi-final, then Al Sadd (2012–14), New York Cosmos (2015) and Al Arabi (2015–16). He scored 323 career goals and provided 186 assists in 934 appearances. His top speed of 29.9 km/h and 10.1 km per game reflect an intelligent forward who compensated for limited pace with exceptional movement and positional sense. He was Champions League all-time top scorer from 1998 until 2011 when Messi overtook him. He won the Pichichi Trophy (Spanish top scorer) twice. He later managed Castilla (Real Madrid B) and was linked with senior management roles.
Champions League 1998, 2000, 2002 (Real Madrid)
Career Honours
- Champions League 1998, 2000, 2002 (Real Madrid)
- La Liga 6x
- Copa del Rey 1993
- Pichichi Trophy 1999, 2001
- Champions League all-time top scorer 1998–2011