Raúl continues to break my heart, Khedira STILL trying to bounce, & RM has landed
RAÚL BREAKS HIS ~SILENCE~
(and some hearts)
Raúl pretending to like the kit
Raul Gonzalez Blanco was officially presented on Wednesday, with the Spanish superstar arriving at the Veltins Arena at 3.07pm. The 33-year-old crossed a Royal Blue carpet to the centre circle for his first press conference. Uwe Paulkowsky and Jürgen Sahm, miners from the Auguste Victoria coalmine in nearby Marl, presented him a piece of coal - a local symbol for good fortune.
Raul, wearing a black jacket, white shirt, grey trousers and grey sneakers, spoke for the first time on the reason why he came to Schalke 04 after 16 years at Real Madrid: Because of coach Felix Magath!
He said: "I thank Magath for showing the confidence in me. There were many offers but Schalke and Magath tried the hardest for me. There was interest there for many months.”
Raul on...
...the Bundesliga: "One of the strongest leagues in Europe. It will offer attractive football. The spectators know to appreciate that, and the stadiums are always full."
...the season: "We want to play for the championship, to get through the first round of the Champions League and to get as far as possible in the cup.”
...his goals: "If you play up front, you also want to score. But it's about the team. I don’t think about how many goals I score.”
Magath’s Raul transfer coup!
The Schalke coach said: "I am extremely happy that Raul is giving [us] the privilege of two years." Club chairman Clemens Tönnies added: “Magath is an ace.”
One with humour! ‘Quälix’ - as Magath is called by his players (a mixture of his first name and the German verb to torture) - responded to a question on what Raul needs to know about Schalke: “That the medicine balls are blue here!”
Raul's first day at Schalke: Magath picked him up at 7am from the luxury Breidenbacher Hof hotel in Dusseldorf. Following a medical check-up there were visits to the stadium and training ground.
He had lunch at the club restaurant 'ess null vier' with former and future team-mate Christoph Metzelder, who had made the first contact with him. There were huge cheers from more than 2,000 fans when Raul ran onto the pitch for training at 4.48pm. He earned a penalty after a few minutes in the game. On Saturday at 4.45pm there will be even greater excitement when he makes his debut in the Liga Total Cup at the Veltins Arena against Hamburg. He will be facing his former Real Madrid team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy...
MAKE ROOM ON THE BENCH: THE COMING OF KHEDIRA IS IMMINENT
Stuttgart have told Real Madrid that they can sign Germany international Sami Khedira this summer if their valuation is met.
The 23-year-old, who has one year left on his contract, has been linked with the Spanish giants following his successful World Cup finals in South Africa. Stuttgart have always maintained their desire to retain the talented midfielder, but have now accepted that they may have to part company with their prized asset.
Khedira has told the club's general manager Fredi Bobic that he would like a move and now the Bundesliga outfit are looking into resolving his future.
"Khedira has told us that he wants to go to Real," Bobic told Bild. "Now we have to find a solution.
"You don't get this chance every day. I'm of the belief it will also end up being a big thing for Stuttgart to see one of the club's best youngsters join a club like Real Madrid.
"However, it is now up to Real Madrid to meet our demands with regard to the transfer fee."
RM ARE HERE & TRAINED TODAY
EDIT: bigger/more pictures without the stupid yellow arrow...
And none of you went to the hotel, because there were only guys waiting outside for autographs lol.
Juanfran & Nacho, two of the five canteranos on the trip
First training: all boys waiting
Resident redhead, Alejandro 'Alex' Fernández
There are more photos on the site. And if you chose to believe Goal.com, this Saturday Kaká, Higuaín, Di Maria will arrive, while Iker, Xabi, Sergio, Arbeloa, Albiol, and Rafael will arrive on Monday. Sergio Canales's arrival is still unsure since the U-19 Final is tomorrow.
source of my pain , source , source