by The Schmooze

Created on: June 27, 2008

No words of praise can fully describe the player who, in my opinion, is the purest striker of all time: Raul Blanco Gonzalez. For lack of better superlatives, I'll go with brilliant, excellent, extraordinary and highly gifted. Raul is God's gift to Spanish football. In my opinion, he is the best player never to have won the prestigious FIFA Player of the Year award.

Think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill? Let us look at his personal achievements; I'm sure you'll change your mind. In 2001, Raul was the European Footballer of the Year runner-up and the FIFA World Player of the Year's second runner-up. Raul is the current all-time leading goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 61 goals. In terms of goals scored for Real Madrid, he's second only to the great Alfredo di Stefano.

In 2006, Raul was awarded the Royal Order's Gold Medal for sports merit. In 2007 he was named the Spanish Sportsman of the year. He is Spain's all time leading goal scorer with 44 goals. Raul was named UEFA Club Football's Best Forward for three successive seasons from 2000 2002.

With his beloved Real Madrid, The Angel of Madrid, as Raul is fondly referred to, has won numerous trophies: three UEFA Champions League trophies, six Spanish La Liga titles, three Spanish Super Cups, two Intercontinental trophies and a European Super Cup. It is quite evident that in terms of club football, Raul has won it all.

A captain for both club and country, Raul's story is an incredible one. Having been signed up to Atletico Madrid, Real's fierce cross-town rivals, playing for Real must have seemed like a distant dream. But fate intervened, in the form of the then Atletico president Jesus Gil, who disbanded the youth academy in a desperate bid to save some much needed cash. The ever-alert Real Madrid scouts were quick in identifying Raul as a potential great for Real. And boy, has Raul certainly delivered! He became the youngest ever player to play a senior match for Real, aged 17 years and change.

After injury threatened to curtail his incredible career, Raul has bounced back with impressive performances over the last two seasons. (Still, I'll be the first to admit that he is yet to reach his best form.) But with his current contract slated to run out in 2012, Raul has some four seasons to prove to any of his doubters (who aren't many in number) just how great a striker he is.

Raul isn't all goals. He is an exemplary leader both on and off the pitch, and an excellent sportsman, as evidenced by the fact that he has never been sent off in his entire professional career. He is kind the role model young players should choose to emulate.

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