UEFA - Interview mit Raul

aus UEFA.com September 2000

Raul Gonzalez - Forward of the Year, 1999/2000
After receiving the award for Forward of the Year, Real Madrid CF marksman Raul Gonzalez spoke to UEFA.com

UEFA.com: How – and why – did you get into football?

Raul Gonzalez: All I can say is that I have loved the game for as long as I can remember. Playing football was always exciting – and it still is. I used to spend all my time playing football and found it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

UEFA.com: What are your happiest memories?

Raúl González: Without a shadow of a doubt, the day I made my debut in the Real Madrid first team. I remember every detail about that game on 29 October 1994 in a league match we played in Zaragoza. I have to admit that, once I was out on the pitch, it wasn’t exactly my day. I missed four clear scoring chances! Even so, it was an incredible experience which I shall never forget.

UEFA.com: Which player(s) and coach(es) have you most admired?

Raul Gonzalez: I honestly think that you can learn something from every coach you work with. Each of them has a special way of working, but one thing they all do in one way or another is to transmit their own experience. So, as a player, you should try to make use of the information you feel might help you during your career. I have been really lucky to have worked with Jorge Valdano, Fabio Capello, Javier Clemente, José Antonio Camacho and Vicente Del Bosque. I think those names speak for themselves. As for players, I think my reference points have been Diego Maradona and Emilio Butragueño. I’ve also had the good fortune to be able to learn from team-mates like Michael Laudrup, Pedja Mijatovic or Luís Figo.

UEFA.com: What is the best game you have ever seen?

Raul Gonzalez: I would go for one I played in rather than one I watched – the UEFA Champions League final in Amsterdam on 20 May 1998, when we beat Juventus 1-0.

UEFA.com: Have players – and the game of football – changed very much?

Raul Gonzalez: Football has developed very quickly in recent times. One glaring example is the physical condition and fitness of top-level players. I think this is helping to produce a situation of greater equality within the game. In the past, there seemed to be notable differences between the strong and the weak. It’s very difficult to appreciate the same degree of difference in the modern game.

UEFA.com: What advice would you give to youngsters who love the game?

Raul Gonzalez: First of all, not to forget your studies. The top priority must be to prepare for life – not just to prepare for a relatively short career in football. At the same time you should never forget that football is a game to be enjoyed even if it is your profession. You should always be prepared to make sacrifices and to learn from the people who make efforts to coach and to educate you. If you don’t listen, you don’t learn.

UEFA.com: If you had one wish for the future, what would it be?

Raul Gonzalez: To be able to carry on playing and performing well at Real Madrid for many years to come. And in the Spanish national team as well. Obviously, I’d like to win more titles but I’m more concerned at the moment about improving in all respects.