At 32, Raúl González is Real Madrid's all-time leader in appearances, goals. (Photo: Mauro González/Flickr)
Real Madrid star forward Raúl has an offer to join Red Bull New York, according to reports in Madrid.
Those reports claim the former talisman for Los Blancos has an received a salary offer from the Major League Soccer team that is comparable to his current compensation from Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old forward has spent his entire career at the Santiago Bernabeu, but after the summer acquisitions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to augment the emergence of Gonzalo Higuaín, the Real Madrid captain has received few first team opportunities. Madrid’s last two matches, however, Raúl has started, after being out of the starting XI each of the preceding nine.
As noted in Marca’s report, Raúl has historically refused to close the door on a move to Major League Soccer, saying before a Champions League match last season “as experience, I could go to play a year in the United States.”
Raúl’s agent, in the same Marca article, says the forward “has offers to play in the United States and Qatar.”
Raúl’s current contract runs through the end of the 2010-11 season and has a clause which could automatically extend the deal by one year should the forward make 30 appearances.
The contract reportedly pays Raúl an annual salary of €6.3 million, or about $8.7 million. A comparable salary could make the Spaniard the highest paid player in the history of Major League Soccer, out-earning David Beckham’s current $6.5 million salary with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Diario Marca, otherwise known as just Marca or La Marca, is a Madrid-based daily sports newspaper considered by many to be a mouth-piece for Real Madrid. Thus, there is extra significance to today’s Raúl post, which closes “If (Raúl wants to move before 2011), Real Madrid would not stand in the way.”
This year, Raúl has three goals in nineteen league appearances, eight of which were starts. Last season, Raúl scored 24 goals in 45 all competition appearances, helping Real Madrid to a second place finish in the Spanish Primera.
Earlier this season, Raúl set the record for Spanish league appearances for Real Madrid, appearing in his 524th league match on September 23. He has since run his appearance record to 536 matches.
In all, Raúl has made 729 appearances for Real Madrid since coming over from the Atlético Madrid youth system and making his debut with Los Blancos in 1994. He has a club-record 321 all competition goals and has been a part of six La Liga champions, three times winning the UEFA Champions League.
Raúl has been named UEFA Club Forward of the Year three times and has won two Pichichi as Spain’s leading scorer.
For Spain, Raúl has been capped 102 times and is the country’s all-time leading scorer with 44 goals.
It’s hard to see Raul bringing in anything close to $8.7M for Red Bull/MLS.
Agreed on the $8.7 million…short term. IF he helps propels the league to bigger and better things, that $8.7 million will be a nice loss leader long term.
That being true. Is this a good/smart move financially or not ?
The two top drawing teams have Beckham/Ljungberg type names ( Toronto would be the other with a better sized stadium doesn’t ).
Red Bulls have a new arena that Im sure they want to sell out, Last I heard they had only sold 6000~ season tickets. You put the word out that you’ve signed an international “star” and im sure youll sell more tickets, both season and individual.
6,000 season tickets. Have you ever seen a disconnect like the one happening in MLS/ Toronto claims to have another 12,000 season ticket holders in waiting, with 20k already sold. Sounders capped theirs at the same 32,000.
The rest of MLS ? Like a High School gridiron game in the South.
The Sounders’ boards had attendance predictions of the Portland-Seattle game for a free TShirt. Preseason game. Maybe one person was below the MLS average game. My buddy told me to get down there today to buy tickets, he is starting to get nervous.
What is it going to take to get people to come to MLS games ?
Not just the 15k a game they have had for 15+ years now.
Is signing the Rauls/Henrys the answer ?
Put Toronto in an all-Canadian first division and see what happens. Interest would go way down. They have the advantage of promoting or interpreting every league game as an international grudge match. Seattle fans, in Cascadian style, want to be loved and seen and respected and don’t mind taking the big splash route to do so. New Yorkers and New Englanders don’t don’t clamor for attention. Put a decent product – no, a good product – on a natural surface in an intimate stadium and you’ll get healthy attendance figures. You’ll neve get the contrived intensity, though. Never.
Yeah, interest would go way down, sorta like with the Voyageur’s Cup, right Joey Clams? Oh right, attendance for the 3 Canadian teams in the tournament is at 96% capacity. Such a failure. Maybe it’s just Canadian supporters really love football?
Red Bull is denying this already: http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=22547
Would be nice to get a player of that caliber in NY though. 6000 is pathetic
That’s only about 1,500 less than the number of LA Galaxy season ticket holders last time I checked. And about 2,000 more than last season. After TFC and Seattle, season ticket numbers go waaaaaaaaaay down.
I think that the red bulls should acquire him if it is possible. I would love to see him play in the new arena. It would be a good move for the red bulls and mls. It is a win win situation for everyone. Get it done.
I have been watching soccer for 3 years now and I try every year to watch the MLS but the quality just isn’t there (I’m and EPL/La Liga fan). If we need to bring in some aging international players to help boost popularity I’m all for it. Also they should change there name to the New Jersey Redbulls now and get New York FC in the league.
Yes, It will be great to see Raul, Beckham, Donovan and more in the league. Maybe they should invite an international team to join as a guest to boost the local league.
i doubt raul would help attendance. do the majority of north american fans follow la liga? i dont think so. most people stick to the English Premier. i see red bulls losing money on this if it happens.
This would be brilliant for US Football.
RCM
http://leftbackinthechangingroom.blogspot.com