Raúl will not await his time forever in Madrid. After several seasons spent directing the Castilla, the Real reserve team, the Legend Merengue seems ready to cross a CAP. The man with 323 goals in the white jersey, long considered as one of the natural candidates for the succession of Ancelotti, sees the door closing for good. The expected appointment of Xabi Alonso as future Real Madrid coach forced him to rethink his trajectory. And according to the latest information circulating, a first great opportunity is available to him.
It is on the side of Sporting Braga, fourth in the last Portuguese championship, that Raúl could settle down. The club, in search of a coach after the departure of Carlos Carvalhal, checked his name. And if the offer has not yet been accepted, it testifies to Raúl's new attractiveness on the European market. So far, the former Madrid captain had always rejected approaches to remain faithful to his dream of sitting on the bench of Bernabéu. But this loyalty is no longer reciprocal.
Since 2019, Raúl has run the Castilla with rigor and discretion. He has gained respect for his peers and leaders, Florentino Pérez in the lead, who see him in him a rigorous technician, close to young people and with strong Madrid identity. But he also knows that Real will not entrust him with short -term keys, despite internal recognition. The Braga track could therefore allow it to assert itself as number one in a European context, without the overwhelming shadow of Madrid.
Raúl is about to take up the Portuguese challenge
Before this Portuguese opening, Raúl had already received several calls. His former club, Schalke 04, where he left a very strong footprint, tried to attract him. The Portuguese Federation has also inquired about the idea of a possible handling of the Seleção. But each time, he preferred to decline, hoping for a signal from Chamartín. Today, the situation has changed, and it is ready to stand on its own wings.
Accepting to engage with Braga is for Raúl the opportunity to build his legitimacy outside. In a competitive championship, with clear European ambitions, he could lay the first stones of a coach career at the highest level. Far from being an exile, this choice could on the contrary be a springboard towards a future return to Real Madrid, this time through the big door. But for that, it will first be necessary to succeed elsewhere. And Braga could well become his first scene.
