Real forgetting Raul

Donuts wrote:Need I remind you Raul played for Madrid for 15, fifteen seasons whereas someone like Zidane only played five.

You clearly didn't read his post.

Zealous wrote:

Donuts wrote:Need I remind you Raul played for Madrid for 15, fifteen seasons whereas someone like Zidane only played five.

You clearly didn't read his post.

was just showing Rauls statistics with Madrid, and relating it with another Madrid legend, question to you though who do you rate more of a legend Raul or Zidane?

As a Madrid player Raul and I'd venture to say it's not even that close. Overall though Zidane was the better player and is a part of Real Madrid and always will be.

Raul is the symbol of Madrid, or at least of the last 50 years(Di Stefano), but so is the number 7. It shouldn't be retired, because other legends will follow. Raul got the n7 at 17, and before him players like Butragueno, Kopa, Juanito and Amancio wore it.

paperbackwriter wrote:Wtf.

Raúl didn't get a proper goodbye because his decision to leave wasn't made official until during the summer. So there were no games to thank him off in or anything. And since he wasn't retiring but changing clubs it wasn't like he could come and do a farewell thing since he was too busy you know playing professional football.

For reference to how Madrid thank their legends when there is an actual official last game you don't need to look any further than here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pgTReH7470

Good post. This is very true and very correct. Had we known Raul was going to leave us at the end of that season I have no doubt the last home game would have been an unbelievable farewell to Raul.

However, the fact remains that when we found out during the summer that Raul was leaving we did a half assed press conference with around 7000 people showing up (MORE PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THE SIGNING OF ALBIOL ffs). We could've invited Raul for the first home game of next season and given a tribute at half time where the fans could've given him a deserved farewell (*the way Ajax do for their legends) Until we do a tribute match for Raul (preferably against Schalke) that shitty farewell we gave him will always be remembered as a grey area in how we let go of one of our arguably biggest legends.

*After he signed for Liverpool. Ajax invited Suarez back for a proper farewell.

VivaStPauli wrote:Schalke 04 legend. Real Whodrid?
Just like Hyypiä the Leverkusen legend. We snatch 'em up late and cheap, but we keep 'em.

He's a Liverpool legend.

ynwa wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:Schalke 04 legend. Real Whodrid?
Just like Hyypiä the Leverkusen legend. We snatch 'em up late and cheap, but we keep 'em.

He's a Liverpool legend.

And coaching Bayer

rwo power wrote:

ynwa wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:Schalke 04 legend. Real Whodrid?
Just like Hyypiä the Leverkusen legend. We snatch 'em up late and cheap, but we keep 'em.

He's a Liverpool legend.

And coaching Bayer

If the Pool managing position was vacant right now, he'll drop Leverkusen on its ass and run home.

I don't think he wanted a starting spot guaranteed...I think he wanted some assurances because, despite upper level management wanting him to stay, persons closer to the ground wanted him gone. He left and we made it easy for him - the best decision in an unstable new environment,

Had ad he stayed, the initial season would have simply foreshadowed this one. Dressing room "conflicts" evolving out of media sensationalism and stubbornness.

Schalke is a great club.

I really enjoyed watching him play for them. I'm glad their fans appreciate him.They saw a Raul I didn't really know still existed. He wasn't really himself the last couple years, due to injuries but also simply because he didn't seem as fully invested in the game as he did before. They gave him new life, and him having one final run with magic and consistency in Europe meant a great deal to Madrid fans - despite it not being for us.

This is also a great gesture.

Perhaps one day he can return to the club in an official capacity, perhaps one day we can have a gesture similar to this. However, whether or not those day's do reach - he will not be forgotten.

I remember one interview Raúl gave at Schalke that he felt so much as ease there as he didn't have all the media and sponsor responsibilities that he had to take care of as Real captain. At Schalke he was allowed to do what he loved to do most - just play football.

I wouldn't say Schalke 'retired' the number for Raul, it's just they didn't assign it to anyone yet

Well, the official statement by Horst Heldt was that the number 7 will not be given out for 'indefinite time'. That means they just retired it temporarily, but obviously not forever.

Source: http://www.derwesten.de/sport/fussball/s04/schalke-geste-nicht-uebertrieben-id6594129.html

laughable attention grab by schalke lol, you can't possibly tell me they consider a guy who played for them for 2 years a club legend... this is just a way to get some popularity with all the plastics who think "schalke" is a german swearword but love raul

and as much as i love to shit on madrid there's hardly anything they could have done... raul didn't want to be backup so he left, that's all there really is to it, i'm sure he'll get a testimonial when he actually retires

@che

You obviously have no idea about Schalke - when Raúl got there, he was immediately adopted as one of them. Raúl was so absolutely unpretentious and a total nice guy that one just couldn't but love him. One of his greatest moments was when Schalke won the DFB-Pokal and Manuel Neuer (who announced his transfer to Bayern not long before then) was somewhat afraid to go to the fans, and Raúl just took him along and no one dared to utter one bad word. As things stand he will become a member of the next "Jahrhundertelf" (team of the century) at Schalke. He left an indelible impression there.

This was fun, too:

With Raul Schalke reached the CL semi finals

Dat goat leadership.

The axis of awesome spearheaded by Raúl.

And that old-man-energy after getting the Magath-treatment. I'm pretty sure Magath could get a 30yo Brazilian to lose weight.

will play in the trofeo bernabeu in august in madrid, 45 mins with his club, 45 mins with Madrid

Vibe wrote:They are also retiring the number 7

Top scorer of all time for Real,former captain,top scorer in CL.

Is this for real? If so,Schalke Real .

Retiring numbers is for small clubs.

Milan a small club....

Indeed.They acted like one when they retired Maldini's number.

Aren't Serie A teams allowed to retire numbers? Anyway, I would like to think Surag is playing Devil's advocate here...

Retiring numbers is for big legends - and the size of the club does not matter. There are some you can't retire because of tradition, but don't act like Milan had no right to do what they did for a guy who played 21 years of amazing football for that team.

No player is bigger than the club no matter if he's spent 5 years or 50 years at the club.

And in Raul's case ,#7 is an important number in footballing terms.The legacy of the #7 should continue ,it should not die.

exactly surag, the life of the club doesnt stop because one player is retiring. we remember him for the player he was not by his number. the 7 at madrid carries a tradition that CR is trying to carry right now, he is doing a decent job at it.

I agree to some extent that clubs shouldn't do that, as young players and kids would dream of getting that number, but I just don't agree with the small club thing

Retiring numbers isn't allowed in La Liga anyway. Besides I like the concept of carrying a number's legacy. Ronaldo is doing a good job representing the "7" and adding to it's history.