While last weekend all the spotlight was over Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modric, two club legends who are leaving Real Madrid and were seen at the Santiago Bernabéu for the final time, another key figure in the white club's history ended his contract that same day... but did not receive any tribute nor attention from the club until today.
We are talking about Raúl González Blanco, simply known as Raúl, who played as striker for Real Madrid between 1994 and 2010, winning six LaLigas, three Champions Leagues, and being runner up for the Ballon d'Or in 2001. With 741 appearances, he holds the record as most matches played with Real Madrid, above Iker Casillas (708), scoring 323 goals, only surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Raúl, aged 47, retired from professional football in 2015 in New York, and then came back to the club, as a trainer for the youth teams in 2018, and since 2019 as manager of Real Madrid Castilla, its B-team.
Naturally, being a legend in the club and spending six years at their B-team, Raúl could have hoped of being promoted to being manager of the main team... but he never got the chance, and he has now seen an outsider like Xabi Alonso, with a shorter but more successful managerial career in Germany, being chosen over him.
"Raúl has informed the club of his decision to end his time as a coach at our youth academy. Real Madrid is proud to have had one of the greatest legends in our history and world football as a coach and trainer at our youth academy", said the club.
"Raúl also exemplifies all the values of Real Madrid. Values that he has also passed on as a coach: he coached Cadete B (U15s) and Juvenil B (U18s) in the 2018-2019 season. Since then, he has coached Castilla. In August 2020, he also coached Juvenil A (U19s), the team that won the Youth League.
"Raúl will always be in the hearts of all madridistas, and Real Madrid will always be his home. Real Madrid wishes Raúl and his family all the best in this new stage of his life."
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In six years, Real Madrid Castilla came close on two occasions of being promoted to Spanish second division, but failed to do so. Another former Real Madrid player, Álvaro Arbeloa, is expected to take his role.
On a social media post, Raúl explained that a new era is opening up for him, but "convinced that some day I will return to the club I will always call home".