Raúl González Blanco

rain-s-child:

Raul Gonzalez, the man who marked an era

(top left to bottom right)
1. Raul and Javier Clemente, his first call-up

2. October 9th 1996 - Raul’s debut, Czech Republic - Spain 0-0, in Prague

3. In his first World Cup match, against Nigeria. He scored, but Spain lost and was sent home after the group stage. In this photo, with Guererro and Kiko, he looks disappointed after the last game, 6-1 with Bulgaria

4. Under Jose Antonio Camacho, Raul scored one goal every two games. It was his best time with Spain

5. 1999 - 9-0 with Austria, he scored four goals, the most he had scored with Spain in one game

6. France - Spain 3-2, Euro 2000. He missed a penalty in the last minutes

7. World Cup 2002. It was Raul’s best international tournament, he was Spain’s top scorer, alongisde his friend Fernando Morientes.

8. World Cup 2006 - After being benched by Inaki Saez, Luis Aragones stopped calling him in September, after a defeat against Northern Ireland

9. His last goal in Spain’s shirt was against Tunisia, his 44th all time.

10. Raul, at his third World Cup, had to watch Spain being sent home after 1-3 against France from the bench