Raúl González · Biography

The first trophy of Raúl González Blanco’s career was the 1994-95 La Liga title, which he won with Real Madrid in his first season in the Spanish top flight. He was born in Madrid on 27 June 1977 and played as a forward. He was at Real Madrid from 1994 to 2010, and then played for Schalke 04, Al-Sadd and the New York Cosmos. After retiring in 2015 he began coaching in Real Madrid’s academy, where he led Real Madrid Castilla from 2019 to 2025.

Early years at San Cristóbal, Atlético and Real Madrid

He started playing in 1988 at CD San Cristóbal de los Ángeles, a neighbourhood club in the south of Madrid. From there he joined Atlético de Madrid’s youth teams, until club president Jesús Gil shut down the academy. In 1992 Real Madrid signed him for their under-15 side. In 1993 he moved up to the youth team and in 1994 to Real Madrid C. A few months later he was in the first team.

Debut and first trophies at Real Madrid

He made his top-flight debut on 29 October 1994, aged 17, against Real Zaragoza at La Romareda. Madrid lost 3-2. At the end of that season the team won the 1994-95 league title. The 1996-97 league title and the 1997 Spanish Super Cup followed. In 1997-98 he won the European Cup, after a 1-0 win over Juventus in the final. In 1998 he added the Intercontinental Cup, with a 2-1 win over Vasco da Gama.

Pichichi awards and two more European Cups

He won the Pichichi Trophy as the top scorer in La Liga in 1998-99 and 2000-01. He was also the Champions League top scorer in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Real Madrid won the European Cup in 2000, after beating Valencia 3-0 in the final, and again in 2002 against Bayer Leverkusen. The 2002 win was the club’s ninth. In those years he also won the 2000-01 and 2002-03 league titles, the 2001 and 2002 Spanish Super Cups, the 2002 UEFA Super Cup (3-1 against Feyenoord) and the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, which Madrid won 2-0 against Olimpia.

Final seasons at the Bernabéu

He also won the 2006-07 and 2007-08 league titles and the 2008 Spanish Super Cup with Real Madrid. He left the club in the summer of 2010. He left with 741 official appearances, a Real Madrid record, and 323 goals. In total he won six league titles, three European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, four Spanish Super Cups and one UEFA Super Cup.

Schalke 04, Al-Sadd and New York Cosmos

In 2010 he joined Schalke 04. In two seasons in Germany he played 98 games and scored 40 goals. He won the 2011 German Cup, with a 5-0 win over MSV Duisburg in the final, and the German Super Cup that same year, on penalties against Borussia Dortmund. In 2012 he moved to Al-Sadd in Qatar. There he played 61 games and scored 16 goals, and won the 2012-13 Qatar Stars League and the 2014 Emir of Qatar Cup. He finished his career with the New York Cosmos in the American NASL. With that team he won the 2015 Soccer Bowl, beating Ottawa Fury 3-2.

Spain national team

He made his debut for the Spain national team on 9 October 1996 in Prague. It was a 0-0 draw with the Czech Republic in qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. For Spain he played 102 games and scored 44 goals. He played at three World Cups, in 1998, 2002 and 2006, and at two European Championships, in 2000 and 2004. At Euro 2000 and at the 2002 World Cup, Spain went out in the quarter-finals.

Coaching career

In 2018 he began coaching in Real Madrid’s academy, with the under-15 side. He won the 2019-20 UEFA Youth League with the club’s under-19 team. On 1 July 2019 he took charge of Real Madrid Castilla. He coached the team for six seasons, until he left on 27 May 2025. His first job in professional football was at Real Oviedo, who named him head coach on 9 November 2026.