How do you like RAUL

I think RAUL is a very good player and has a lot of team spirit and a willingness to play well but he is not the old Raul who won the European player of the year.He is not in that good form and is dropped from the Spanish national side.I hope he gets bake to same form which he was.I think that is going to happen very soon because "form is temperory n class is permanent".In this world cup also Raul did not perform well.In the 2002 world cup Raul was in good form.I dont think he shuld ove to Manchester United because then his case will also be like that of David Beckham ie he will find it difficult to adjust to a new country,new club.That might also affect his performance as it affected Beckhams.I wish Raul a best of luck.

Raul's real name is Raul Gonzalez Blanco aka Raul born on june 27 1977 is a spanish football forward. he is playing for real madrid since 1994 now he is the team captain. he must have played more than 100 games for the spanish national team and is its all time leading goal scorer with 47 goals.he represented spain in 1988 fifa world cup. raul is currently 12 th highest goalscorer in the history of spain top flight with 185 goals in 418 games. all of these goals were for real madrid, making raul the clubs 3rd highest goalscorer of all time. this might improve as raul is still playing for the club.his jersey number is 7.raul is a striker and is able to midfield effectievly.raul was born in the madrid suburb of san critobal de los angelos after winning his spurs as a meamber of provincial amateur team san cristobal de los angelos, his father sighned him up for the atletico madrid youth team and seemed destined to join the professional side when atlelico president jesus gil dissolved the clubs entire youth scheme in an effort to save money.this information i got from the enclipodea i just love raul hope you too like him.

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid. Beckham was named as a member of Pelé's FIFA 100.[3] In addition to his success on the pitch, Beckham has been recognized by Time magazine as one of 2004's Time 100 (Heroes & Icons),[4] as well as an elite global advertising brand.[5]

Beckham is the fifth most capped English player of all time, has twice been the runner up in the FIFA World Player Of The Year Award in 1999 and 2001 and in addition to being the only Englishman to score in three different World Cups, is also only the ninth player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free kicks. He was captain of the English national team from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006.

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first first-team appearance in 1992, at the age of 17. While with Manchester United he played a key role in their dominance of the FA Premier League in the 1990s and early 2000s, being pivotal in accomplishing The Treble of the League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left the club to become only the third Englishman to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman.

In 2006, after England's quarter-final exit at the World Cup in Germany, he stood down as captain.[6] He was then succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.[7] Beckham was dropped from the England national team selected by coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. [8]

On 10 January 2007 Real Madrid Sporting Director Predrag Mijatovic announced Beckham would leave the club in mid 2007. On 11 January 2007, Beckham agreed to a move to the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Los Angeles Galaxy on a five year contract beginning on 1 July 2007, after his current deal with Real Madrid expires.[9] Late Monday (15 January), after speculation in the UK and Spanish press on a possible early exit for Beckham from Real Madrid, MLS Commissioner Don Garber denied that his league was attempting to secure an early MLS debut for Beckham.[10]
Childhood and early career

David Beckham was born in Leytonstone, East London, the son of Ted Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and Sandra West, a hairdresser. His maternal grandfather is Jewish,[11] and he has spoken of the influence the religion has had on him but is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith, though he "has been seen [wearing] red Kabbalah bracelets."[12]

His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. As a child he played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.

He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

He was part of an exceptionally talented group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg[13] of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league.

He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.

Manchester United

Becoming a first-team player

United manager Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa,[14] with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Still, Beckham's form was not good enough to break into the England squad before Euro 96.

In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United ahead 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net.[15] Beckham was frequently mentioned in the press, and he made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova. He became an automatic first-choice player at United that season, helping them to retain their league championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.

United started the 1997-98 season well, but their performance deteriorated when several players got injured. They finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal.

World Cup 1998

Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France, but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament,[16] and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory.

In the Second Round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card for violent conduct in England's match against Argentina.[17] Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, appeared to kick out at his opponent, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off.[18] The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye.[19]

1999-2000 season

Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998-99 season, he was still unpopular among opposition fans and many journalists, and he was heavily criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United's interests to sell him,[20] but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club.

The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham began to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United's rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he hadn't been "fair to his team mates".[21] Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.

Winning over the England fans

The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match.[22] Beckham responded with a one-fingered gesture and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encouraged his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.[23]

On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his teammates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled some eight yards

Raúl González Blanco, usually referred to simply as Raúl, (born June 27, 1977) is a Spanish football forward. He has been playing for Real Madrid at senior level since 1994, where he is the team captain. He has played more than 100 games for the Spanish national team, and is its all-time leading goal scorer with 47 goals. He represented Spain in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2004 and 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Raúl is also currently 12th highest goalscorer in the history of Spain's top flight, with 185 goals in 418 games. All of these goals were for Real Madrid, making Raúl the club's third highest goalscorer of all time. This might improve as Raúl is still playing for the club.

When playing, he wears jersey number 7 for both club and country.
Playing style

Raúl is a striker who is able to link attack and midfield effectively. He runs non-stop, and supports his team like a real capitan. He is the (engine) of the team.

At 1.80m in height and just over 68 kg, Raúl is very mobile and light on his feet, and likes to switch positions or go out wide. He can put his team-mates through into great positions, and create chances for himself even against the toughest markers.

Many Real Madrid and Spain coaches have struggled to find Raúl's most effective position. Although originally an out-and-out striker, his most prolific years were in the late 1990s partnered by Fernando Morientes, a taller and more natural target man. Since Morientes' departure in the summer of 2003, Raúl has variously been played as a second striker off Ronaldo or Ruud van Nistelrooy, or as a left-winger. For the Spanish national side at the 2006 World Cup, Raúl pushed Luis García out of the side to play 'in the hole' behind two strikers, Fernando Torres and David Villa, with wingers José Antonio Reyes and Joaquín Sánchez kept on the bench.

[edit]
Biography

Raúl was born in the Madrid suburb of San Cristobal de Los Ángeles. After winning his spurs as a member of provincial amateur team San Cristobal de Los Angeles, his father signed him up for the Atlético Madrid youth team at the age of 13. Raúl rose through the ranks, winning the national title with the Under-15 youth team, and seemed destined to join the professional side when Atletico President Jesús Gil dissolved the club's entire youth scheme in an effort to save money.

Deprived of a team to play for, Raul turned to local rivals Real Madrid, where success was quickly forthcoming. He began the 1994-95 season in Real's "C" team, and scored 13 goals in the first seven games. In October 1994, head coach Jorge Valdano picked the gifted teenager in his first team. At just 17 years and four months, Raul became the youngest player ever to wear a Real Madrid shirt. In doing so, he nudged aside 1991 Pichichi Trophy winner Emilio Butragueño, and was soon well on the way to becoming Spain's new sensation. He scored nine times in his first season from 28 appearances, including one in his second game against Atletico, and won the Spanish La Liga championship. Raúl made his national team debut against the Czech Republic in October 1996. Raúl's performances for Spain have since mirrored the nation's fortunes, Spain being dubbed the "greatest underachievers" in international football.

Raúl was a key player in Real Madrid's six big titles from 1998 to 2003. With Real, he won three European UEFA Champions League trophies in 1998, 2000 and 2002, scoring the clinching goal in the 2000 Champions League final. On the domestic scene, he won three Spnaish La Liga championships in 1997, 2001 and 2003. After Fernando Hierro retired from the Spanish national team in 2002, Raúl became the captain for Real Madrid and Spain.

Ever since 2003, he has been under heavy criticism by the media and part of the supporters because of his poor performances in the last four years, in which Real Madrid struggled to win a title in Spain and in the European competitions, with no success in either of them. These struggles have seen Raúl relegated at times to the substitutes bench by both club and country, leaving questions as to how much he might have in the tank.It is widely rumoured that the primary reason why Raul starts in the Real Madrid line-up is because he has tremendous influence in Madrid .

On 28 September 2005 against Greek power Olympiakos, his 97th UEFA Champions League match, he became the first player to score 50 goals in the history of the tournament, passing Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano. He is currently the top goal scorer of the competition, with 56 goals, scoring the last two in the 1st leg of their knockout stage match-up against Bayern Munich. When he led out the Spanish team against San Marino in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 12 October 2005, he surpassed his predecessor as Spain captain, Fernando Hierro, as the most-capped outfield player (i.e., not a goalkeeper) in Spanish history.

On June 19, with a goal against Tunisia, Raúl became the 18th player to score in 3 different editions of the FIFA World Cup. He has scored in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

[edit]
Personal life

Raúl grew up in a modest neighbourhood of Madrid, in the suburb Marconi de San Cristóbal de los Ángeles. His father, don Pedro, was a fan of Atlético Madrid, the club where he started playing after a short period in San Cristóbal's team. Atlético Madrid coaches did not notice anything special about him because he was very thin and weak. Raul later turned to Real Madrid's C team and quickly made it to the first team in 1994-95 season.

Raúl possesses a distinctive celebration, with each goal acclaimed by a kiss of his wedding ring, an acknowledgement to his wife Mamen Sanz. They have four sons: Jorge (February 25, 2000), who is named after Jorge Valdano, Hugo (November 20, 2002),who is also named after Raul's childhood hero Hugo Sanchez and twins Héctor and Mateo (November 17, 2005). He likes reading, especially the books of Arturo Pérez Reverte, and listening to all sorts of Spanish music. He also enjoys hunting and watching bullfighting.

Fernando Morientes is a very close friend of Raul's. The two formed a very deadly striker partnership for Real Madrid and the Spanish national squad between 1998 and 2002, until Morientes was replaced by Ronaldo in the Real Madrid starting eleven. Morientes and Raul are still best friends, and Raul was often spotted at Anfield Road in the 2005-06 English Premiership season while he was sidelined with an injury, watching Morientes play for Liverpool. Morientes and Raul have also gone on vacations together, with their families.



[edit]
Honours
Club
Spanish La Liga: 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2003
Spanish Super Cup: 1997, 2001 and 2003
UEFA Champions League: 1998, 2000 and 2002
European Super Cup: 2002
Intercontinental Cup: 1998 and 2002
Individual
Pichichi Trophy: 1999 and 2001
Spanish Player of the Year: 1996-97 season
UEFA Club Football Best Forward Award: 2000, 2001 and 2003
1998 Intercontinental Cup Man of the Match
1999 IFFHS World Goalgetter
2000 Spanish outstanding sportsman
2 x UEFA Champions League Top Scorer (99-00, 00-01)
2006 Royal Order's gold medal for Sports Merit
Bronze Boot of Europe: 1999, 2001
2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, Bronze award
2001 European Footballer of the Year, Silver award
Achievements
Scored the 800th goal in Spain's national team history, March 27, 1999 vs Austria
Scored the 900th goal in Spain's national team history, September 7, 2002 vs Greece
Spanish national team all-time leading scorer
Most appearances for an outfield player in the Spanish national team
Top active scorer in La Liga
Top UEFA Champions League appearance[1]
UEFA Champions League all-time leading scorer with 56 goals
2 goals in 3 UEFA Champions League Finals
most scorer against barcelona in real madrid history (10 goles)

[edit]
Quotes
Jesús Gil (29/10/99): "Raúl is my black beast".[2]
Fabio Capello (15/11/99): "He is a winner. He is the inheritance of Real Madrid".[2]
Javier Clemente (01/04/00): "Raúl is the best forward in the world".[2]
Jose Mourinho (23/4/00): "Raul may be a wanker, but he is a wanker that scores great goals".[2]
Franz Beckenbauer (09/05/00): "Raúl is one of the best of Europe. He is Real Madrid's spirit. He is like Matthäus for us: indispensable, and with a bad haircut".[2]
Thierry Henry (25/06/00): "When he plays, in his mind there is only the goal; it's the football essence. Every time they do something, you stand up over your seat".[2]
Sir Alex Ferguson (08/04/03): "I hope he doesn't like travelling, Failing that we will stop him entering the country. Real buy these big players like Figo, Zidane and Ronaldo but I think the best player in the world is Raul".
David Trézéguet (08/05/03): "We all know what Raul represents, not only for his team, but also for football".
Zinedine Zidane: "For me i would say my favourite players in europe are Raul and Figo."
Ottmar Hitzfeld (15/02/07) - Days before the Bayern vs. Madrid Match: "I would buy Raul at this minute, if it was possible. His a "Crack" (a "match changing" player) and I love everything about him. He has a great career behind him. In my opinion, now, is the best time to buy him, he has maturity as much as experience".

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