Raúl De Tomás: Real Madrid's top scorer plays for Rayo
The 24-year-old is on loan at Rayo Vallecano where he is on eight goals - one more than Karim Benzema. In a virtual ranking, he is Madrid's top scorer.
For the entire second half of Sunday's game against Betis, Real Madrid had to get by with Castilla forward Cristo leading the attack on his league debut. Solari didn't have anyone else. Benzema had gone off with a fractured wrist and Bale and Mariano were back in Madrid, injured. Funnily enough Madrid have a player who is currently out on loan who is the club's top scoring madridista: Raúl De Tomás.
Youth team product
The Madrid-born striker, who has Dominican ancestry on his mother's side, has been at Real Madrid since he was a 10-year-old and renewed his contract until 2023 just before beginning his second year on loan at Rayo. In Vallecas, has found the net eight times in LaLiga - that's a goal more than Benzema and he's clearly getting into his rhythm. This weekend he hit a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Celta with VAR denying him a fourth.
De Tomás was with the first team squad for last year's pre-season but was offered the chance to leave when the club re-signed Mariano. As he explained the other day: "Lopetegui wanted me to stay but I'm not the kind of player wjho can spend a whole season on the bench..." His strike rate is putting other members of Solari's team to shame - including Gareth Bale, who has scored half as many in the season when he is supposed to be taking up the matle from Cristiano.
Meanwhile, RDT is currently the third leading Spanish goal scorer in LaLiga alongside Roger (8) and just two goals behind Aspas and Borja Iglesias (both on 10).
Unable to return to Madrid this month
However well he has been doing, De Tomás will not be able to return to Real Madrid in this month's transfer window. The contract he signed with Rayo includes a fear clause (which impeded him from playing against his parent club at the Bernabéu on 15 December and will mean he's ineligible for Rayo when are guests in Vallecas in April). Rayo refused to accept an option which would have allowed Madrid to recover the player this month. So De Tomás will have to wait until the season is over to discuss where his future lies with Madrid.
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