Raul Blanko Spanish football player Date of Birth: 27.06.1977 Country: Spain

Raul Blanco Biography

Raul Gonzalez Blanco, a Spanish football player, was born on August 23, 1977. He received a special UEFA prize during the draw for the group stage of the 2001/2002 UEFA Champions League in Monte Carlo. The 24-year-old Spaniard was named the best forward in the Champions League for the second year in a row. In the previous season, he became the top scorer of the prestigious club tournament by scoring 7 goals. Raul has scored a total of 28 goals in the Champions League throughout his career. Moreover, with 24 goals, he also became the top scorer of the previous Spanish league and often single-handedly decided the outcome of matches, earning crucial points for Real Madrid. Fans eagerly anticipate what their idol will achieve while playing alongside great players like Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane. Raul met Zidane under tragic circumstances during a match between the Spanish national team and the world champions, France, in EURO-2000. His team was losing 1-2, and Raul was supposed to be the savior of the Spanish dream, but instead, his penalty kick sent the ball sky-high. If the ball had hit the target, not even the most desperate attempt by the French goalkeeper Barthez could have saved his team from an inevitable goal.
"I sometimes miss, and sometimes I score. I was absolutely sure that I could do it. I was also convinced that my shot would bring a draw for my team, and at first, it seemed like the ball was heading right into the top corner. I imagined it flying in... Now, all I can do is apologize to the fans and my teammates," Raul said tearfully as he left the field. The Spaniards tried to console him as best they could, and there were no accusations against him. Even his opponents tried to support Raul. The great Zinedine Zidane exchanged jerseys with him and patted him on the shoulder sympathetically, as the young player continued to shed tears of disappointment. "I couldn't hold back," Raul later said. "I needed to relieve my soul. I had been waiting for this moment so much because such opportunities don't come often. I missed it this time, but there will be others, and I will try to make better use of them." It seems that Raul is not used to wasting his words. He continues to do on the field what millions of fans expect from him: scoring goals. Thousands of Spanish boys probably dream of emulating his success because his story is close to their hearts. He comes from a low-income family, where his father was the only one with a job as an electrician. Raul also has an older brother and sister. The head of the family is a die-hard fan of Atletico Madrid and believes that his son should only play for this club. At the age of 13, Raul was noticed by Jesus Hill, the president of Atletico Madrid, who promised that talented boys like him would soon surpass their arrogant peers from Real Madrid. However, when it came to signing the first symbolic agreement with the youth team of Atletico, the youth team's secretary refused to give the talented and clearly needy boy a meager amount of money. Offended, Raul headed to Real Madrid. Despite the fact that the Royal Club's football school scouts watch over 10,000 boys each year, they immediately noticed Raul. He played in the youth team, the junior team, and the reserve team - the "B" team. And he became the top scorer in each of them. In the autumn of 1994, a day before the calendar match between "Zaragoza" and "Real," after just a few training sessions with the main team, 17-year-old Raul was called aside by coach Jorge Valdano and told, "I'm telling you this face to face so that you don't faint - you're playing tomorrow!" It may sound harsh, but the coach wanted to see if the "drowning" player would fight for his life on his own and if he could stay afloat. If God gave you a gift, show it!
And young Raul showed it. Although the match ended dramatically for him and his team, with Real Madrid losing, he performed brilliantly in certain moments. What about his solo run towards the opponent's goal in the first few minutes of the match! The goalkeeper couldn't hold onto the ball after a powerful shot, and it rebounded to Raul about 6-7 meters from the wide-open goal. With a slight tap, the forward could have easily rolled it into the net, but left-footed Raul powerfully struck it with his right foot, sending it over the crossbar. The stadium exploded with excitement... Over time, Raul's trademark move became the soft chip shot, where he enters the opponent's penalty area and, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, lifts the ball over him. Undoubtedly, his goals are now highly valued. Raul's annual salary is almost the same as his current superstar teammates, Figo and Zidane, amounting to around $6 million. Of course, Raul and his whole family moved from a Madrid suburb to one of the most luxurious neighborhoods in the Spanish capital, Mirasierra. When this happened, the footballer happily told reporters about his enormous room. Although he gets along very well with his older brother, Raul claimed that he is now happy because he can turn off the lights whenever he wants.
In the past, he had to take several connecting buses to get to the stadium. Having become wealthy, Raul wanted to buy a luxurious and powerful SUV. However, his agent, Fermin Gutierrez, convinced the young player to use a more modest car. Raul purchased a humble Volkswagen Golf, his first "little car" that he had probably only dreamt of since childhood.
After the training session, as always, he was surrounded by a crowd of fans asking for autographs. After 10 or 15 minutes, it becomes difficult to "serve" everyone. Raul quickly jumped into his car and hit the gas. However, one slow fan, already middle-aged and clearly displeased with being overlooked, hit the roof of Raul's passing car, suggesting that the young star had become arrogant. Raul abruptly slammed on the brakes, jumped out from behind the wheel, and confronted the offender with his fists raised, saying, "If you touch my car with your finger again, I'll..." People intervened and separated them. Spaniards are known for their passionate temperament, and the blood runs hot under the sun. Their emotions often overflow slightly. Maybe that's why football in Spain is so thrilling, full of beautiful goals, and unpredictable.