A common trend in modern day football rivalry is for one group of supporters to wish for, take joy in, and even laugh at enemy club’s failure, especially when it comes to teams who compete for the league title season in and out like Barca and Real Madrid.
However, Los Blancos legend Raul looks to break this trend by admitting to being happy at seeing arch-nemesis the Blaugrana succeed in Europe.
The former Spain striker – having recently retired from football after gracing Santiago Bernabeu, Qatar’s Al Sadd, and MLS side New York Cosmos – is a Los Blancos legend, but admits that his sense of national pride trumps his allegiance to Real Madrid.
“The rivalry helps both clubs. Barca would not be who they are without Madrid and vice-versa. They need each other," the Spaniard told Vanity Fair.
“When they win titles in Europe I am happy for them because we have a club from Spain in the final and I have no reservations about saying that publicly.
“Why would I wish someone else ill? That is not how I am.”
The 38-year-old is Les Merengues’ second all-time leading goalscorer with 323 goals, shooting him to idol status at the Madrid giants. This had many believing that he would emulate Zidane and return to the Bernabeu in a coaching role upon retirement.
However, Raul confessed that he is in no rush to do so, saying:
“I need my time. My life has been so clear-cut, and now I have to think about whether I miss competing.
“I have a project here for my personal development. I am going to learn about everything that surrounds football, sports management, business.
“This is a time to do things without being under any pressure so that I can decide whether or not I like it and then, in a few years, return to Madrid.”
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