Remembering Raul -- silent assassin and Real Madrid's home-grown Galactico

Like a Spanish bullfighter he would weigh up the moment and deliver the killer blow.

• Raul: Getty Images

Among the glitz and glamour at Real Madrid, Raul was the rarest of commodities -- a home grown talent with an elegant style of play that earned him respect at every Spanish football ground he graced. On Thursday, the prolific striker announced that he would bring down the curtain on a 21-year career that will always be defined by his exploits at Real, a club he left in 2010 having made 741 appearances and as the club's top scorer on 323 goals.
Portuguese marksman Cristiano Ronaldo has since equalled that tally and could surpass Raul with a goal against Levante on Saturday. The 38-year-old, who moved to Schalke and Al-Sadd in Qatar before arriving at the New York Cosmos in the NASL, will retire at the end of this season in November.
Raul and Ronaldo share a common legacy of having defined eras at the Bernabeu but that is where any similarities end. While Ronaldo is a model of power and efficiency who demands to be in the limelight, Raul was more understated, a leader nonetheless but will be remembered for his poise and ruthless finishing.
Like a Spanish bullfighter he would weigh up the moment and deliver the killer blow. In the heat of the El Clasico clashes against Barcelona when matches often turned ugly, Raul would remain unruffled and sportsmanlike, traits admired even by the opposition when playing at the Camp Nou.