CBC-Sports

Raul ranks among game's elite scorers

February 16, 2009 02:14 PM | Posted by   John Molinaro  

Move over Alfredo di Stefano, there's a new No. 1 in town.

Raul Gonzalez scored twice in Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Sporting Gijon on Sunday to surpass di Stefano as los blancos' all-time leading scorer with 309 goals.

The 31-year-old Raul, playing in his 15th season with Madrid, needed 504 games to break di Stefano's record (it took the Argentine 401games to set the old mark of 307). Despite his three Champions League medals, Raul will likely never replace di Stefano as the club's greatest player - di Stefano was the team's original galactico and put Real Madrid on the map by guiding los blancos to five consecutive European Cups from 1956-60.

But Raul remains the ultimate symbol of Real Madrid due to his lengthy and consistent service to the club since making his debut as a fresh-faced 17-year-old.

What a shame, then, that Raul isn't recognized as one of the game's top players and elite scorers.

The Spaniard's scoring record is impressive. Aside from being the all-time leading scorer for Real Madrid - the greatest club in the history of the game - Raul also ranks as the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 64 goals.

If that weren't enough, Raul's 66 goals make him the No. 1 scorer in all official UEFA competitions, and he has scored more goals (44) than any other player for the Spanish national team.

And he needs just another 36 goals to surpass former Athletic Bilbao star Telmo Zarra as the leading scorer in La Liga history.

Combining sublime ball control, a nose for goal and natural finishing ability, Raul has been opposing defenders' worst nightmare for years, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down as he enters the twilight of his career.

And yet, Raul has never really been sufficiently recognized for his accomplishments. How is that he's never won the FIFA World Player of the Year award or the prestigious Ballon d'Or as Europe's top player?

Raul's name is also suspiciously absent when talk turns to who is the greatest player of the past 25 years. The usual suspects are always named - Maradona, Zidane, Figo, Platini - but Raul barely gets a mention.

Raul deserves a spot in the pantheon of the game's all-time great forwards - alongside Ronaldo, van Basten, Baggio, di Stefano, Muller, Cruyff - but again, he always seems to be overlooked by the critics.

Part of the problem, I suppose, is that Raul is a private person, and doesn't live a celebrity lifestyle like so many of his contemporaries do.

Instead, the Spaniard does his talking on the field, where it matters the most.

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