Real Madrid forward Raul has revealed he held talks with
future Bernabeu boss Juande Ramos while the Spaniard was still in
charge at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 31-year-old netted his 309th Real goal at the weekend
against Sporting Gijon, breaking Alfredo Di Stefano's all-time
record.
And despite being continually linked with a move to the Premier
League, he has always spurned the opportunity to leave the 31-time
La Liga champions.
However, Raul told Digital Plus that he and his agent held talks
with Ramos while he was still managing the north London club, and
responded to suggestions he played a key role in bringing the
sacked Spurs coach to Madrid, where he has led Real to eight
successive wins.
"Four months ago, Juande and I had a meal with Gines Carvajal,
who is our agent and a friend of mine," he said.
"They called me because I like English football and I wanted Juande
to tell me about his experience of Tottenham and of the Premier
League. He is a football man and speaking with him is a
pleasure.
"A chain of events meant that he was sacked and then Madrid were
interested in him. The fact that we share the same agent led to
unfortunate interpretations. Juande is a winning coach and he has
proved that he is good enough to manage Real Madrid."
Ramos will return to English shores next month as his Real
Madrid side visit Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions
League last 16.
And Raul is relishing the opportunity to play in front of the
Kop at Anfield.
“Anfield is pure legend and you always want to play there, where
the atmosphere is terrific," he said.
“We keep this game in our mind, but first thing first we have to
remain focused on winning in the Primera Liga in order to keep our
options open and to keep the team happy.”