Spanish soccer legend and former Real Madrid star Raul Gonzales is going to hang up his boots next month.
The 38-year-old will retire after finishing the current North American Soccer League season.
“When I signed for the New York Cosmos in December, I said I would evaluate how I felt towards the end of the year and assess whether I would continue to play,” said the current New York Cosmos player.
“My decision is to retire from playing at the end of this season. I am fully focused on finishing the season strong and helping the New York Cosmos win the NASL Championship. In the coming months I will decide the next step in my career.
“Playing soccer has been part of my life for so long and the decision to retire is not an easy one but I believe it is the right time,” said Raul.
“I’m thankful to everyone who has supported me throughout my career and I look forward to playing my final games with the New York Cosmos over the coming weeks.”
Raul, once Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer with 323 goals before recently being equaled by Cristiano Ronaldo on September 30th, spent 16 years with the Spanish La Liga giant, winning six La Liga titles, three Champions League titles and six Spanish Super Cups.
Then he played with Schalke and Al-Sadd Sports Club before joining the Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, a level below Major League Soccer, in last December. He also scored 44 goals in 102 appearances for Spain.