Real icon Raul hoping to return to Madrid...but not now

Madrid: Former Real Madrid star striker Raul Gonzalez says that he will return to the football club in the future, but for the present his work is in New York.

The 38-year-old whose 323 goals for Real were until recently a club record, announced on Tuesday that he was hanging up his boots at the end of the current Major Soccer League (MSL) season, reports Xinhua.

That had prompted speculation that Raul would be leaving the New York Cosmos to return to Madrid. However, in a conference held in New York, the striker admitted that although he hoped to return to Madrid in the future, his present is in the United States.

"The way things are now, I want to continue living in New York. I will return to Madrid, but it won't be in the near future," he said, ruling out taking over as coach at the American club.

"I don't feel as if I am a coach and it's not in my mind to be one in the next few years. I want to be a father and a person now. In order to become a coach, I have to carry on learning and studying and I haven't started that yet, although one day I would like to coach a winning team," Raul, who scored 44 goals in 102 matches for Spain, admitted.

Raul looked back on a 21-year career, which has also seen him play in Germany and Qatar, saying he had "played for longer and achieved more than I ever dreamed about when I was young".

"I gave everything and I have had a lot of luck," he added, before discussing his retirement from playing.

"I decided two months ago this would be my last season. I had another year on my contract, but I felt I had had enough. I'm 38 years old and the moment had to arrive, but I know I will miss it one day," he said.

For the moment though, there are no regrets.

"I never imagined playing so long, in four leagues and making friends in all of the places where I played," concluded Raul.