Can Raul inspire Schalke to defeat Manchester United
Anything can happen in football. Who would have guessed that a side currently sitting mid table in the Bundesliga would defeat the Champions League holders 7-3 on aggregate? Well that was exactly what Schalke did against Inter Milan in the quarter finals and who’s to say they can’t knock out current Premier League leaders Manchester United.
The two teams meet each other in the first leg of their Semi Final tie tonight at the Veltins Stadium in Gelsenkirchen and one player that everyone will have their eyes on is former Real Madrid star Raul. Since leaving Real Madrid last summer, Raul has scored 18 goals for Schalke, five of which have come in the Champions League. It has been these goals and his vast European experience that have inspired Schalke’s incredible run into the Semi Finals, knocking out the likes of Valencia and Inter Milan on the way.
In the first leg of Schalke’s last 16 – tie against Valencia, Raul netted his 71st goal in the Champions League and in doing so became the leading goalscorer in European competition history surpassing AC Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi. In the quarter final stage, his goal in the second half helped Schalke crush Inter Milan 5-2 at the San Siro before he put in a man of the match performance in the second leg, contributing with a goal and an assist.
Tonight Raul will once again be looking to haunt Manchester United having scored four goals against the Red Devils in the competition. His strikes helped Real Madrid knock out United in the quarter final stage of the Champions League in both 2000 and 2003. However, while playing for Schalke does not compare to playing for ‘Los Galácticos,’ it’s clear that Raul’s goal scoring ability has not declined and he could well cause anguish to Manchester United for the third time.
While his record against tonight’s opponents in the Champions league is impressive, Raul played down the significance of it. “I have done well against United in the past and these sorts of heavyweight battles have definitely brought the best out in me over the years. Yet my past at Real will not have any meaningful bearing on the result of a match between Schalke and Manchester United in a massive semi-final.”
When he left Real Madrid last summer, many foolishly wrote Raul off as a ‘has been.’ His performances in the Champions League this season have proven many people spectacularly wrong. It will be a huge ask, but if he can help Schalke deliver the knockout blow to Manchester United, then the legacy of the great man will only enhance further.
Should Schalke shock United, then there is a chance that Raul could well end up playing former club Real Madrid in the final. Madrid take on Barcelona in the other semi final tie and Raul will be hoping that the Los Merengues will triumph again against their arch rivals having defeated them in the Copa del Rey final last week. If such a scenario does occur, then who’s to bet that Raul won’t score against his former club at Wembley?
After all, this is football and in this sport, fairytales do happen!
