Raul looking forward to great Schalke fans
28.07.2010
Though he has yet to play for the Royal Blues, there can be no doubt that Raul is already a crowd favourite. Just a few minutes after he had signed his new contract, schalke04.com asked Spain's most prolific goalscorer about his emotions, his reasons for joining Schalke and his targets at his new club.
Hello Raul, welcome to Schalke. Lots of fans came to the VELTINS Arena to witness your official unveiling. What was it like to enter the stadium for the first time as a Schalke player?
It was overwhelming. I'd like to thank all the supporters who came to the Arena especially to see me. It's a very special day for me. An era in Madrid has come to an end, a new one in Schalke has begun. I'd like to thank Schalke 04 and Felix Magath for the trust they have shown in me and obviously I'd like to repay this trust. My target is quite clearly to celebrate some major successes with this club and its fantastic fans over the next two years.
You've been linked with several clubs all over the world in the last few weeks and months. What made you decide to join Schalke?
Primarily the huge interest the club showed in me over several months. I sensed from the outset that Schalke were trying very hard to get me. That impressed me. I had other offers but in the end the decision was an easy one. I'm now looking forward to getting to know a new country along with my family. My first impressions of Germany and especially the people at Schalke are very positive.
Real Madrid's new coach Jose Mourinho is said to have tried very hard to persuade you to stay towards the end…
That's right. The two of us had another meeting but by that time I'd already decided to seek another challenge at Schalke. I had a fantastic time in Madrid, one I will never forget and will always look back on with fondness. But now I'm ready for something new.
Schalke are one of the biggest teams in Germany. How much do you know about your new club?
A lot, as I've obviously been studying the club history. I've also been gathering information on my new team-mates. I want to be very successful with them, after all. In Christoph Metzelder I'm meeting a familiar face as we've already played together in Madrid. He told me lots of good things about Schalke as well. I'm already looking forward to playing in front of these fantastic fans for the first time.
Have you had time to concern yourself with the Bundesliga?
Of course. For me Germany has one of the best leagues in the world. I'm particularly fascinated by how evenly matched the teams are. The Bundesliga is certainly capable of holding its own internationally, as we saw recently in the European competitions. On top of that the stadiums are always full and the atmosphere is superb every time.
What are your personal targets with the Royal Blues?
It's not about me primarily, it's about the success of the team as a whole. I want to be challenging at the top of the league, go a very long way in the DFB Cup and at least get through the group phase of the Champions League. To achieve all these targets together with my team-mates, I want to score lots of goals.
In the all-time list of leading scorers in European competition you are joint top with Filippo Inzaghi on 68 goals. Do you hope to have the record to yourself very soon?
That would be great, of course. Obviously I'm aiming to get the odd goal or two in the Champions League as well, but as I said before, the success of the team is what's important. I'm a team player!
Allow us to ask one more question. Do you speak any German yet?
Ein wenig [a little]. I want to learn the language as quickly as possible to be able to communicate with my team-mates and the fans. It won't easy, but I'll manage it because I want to feel at home here. And to do that you need to know the language.
gosh, it was Raul who got me to learn Spanish, now I have a feeling I'm about to start learning Deutsch