Real Madrid: Raúl to coach Castilla after gaining Pro Licence
The legendary Bernabéu striker has been working with Real Madrid's youth sides and now has the necessary badges to take over the reserve team.
Real Madrid legend Raúl González can now take charge of the club’s reserve side, Castilla, after being awarded his UEFA Pro Licence on Friday, which provides coaches with the necessary authorisation from the European governing body to manage sides from Tercera División up to the Spanish top flight.
The former striker, who stands second on the all-time list of scorers for Real Madrid behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, has been working with the club’s youth sides after starting out with the under-15s earlier this season. He then moved up to the under-18s, replacing the sacked Álvaro Benito, and will now be at the helm of Castilla for the 2019-20 campaign.
Raúl on the Zidane fast-track to the Real Madrid senior job
Raúl will follow in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane – who famously took over at Castilla without the requisite badges – and Santiago Solari, who made the step up to the senior side when Zidane’s replacement, Julen Lopetegui, was sacked last October.
Among other former players receiving their Pro Licences on Friday were former Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso – who recently announced he would be leaving his role as a youth team coach at the Bernabéu to re-join boyhood club Real Sociedad, former Barcelona midfield maestro Xavi, who will take charge of Al Sadd after hanging up his boots at the end of the season, Víctor Valdés, Joan Capdevila, Lodovic Giuly, Esteban Cambiasso and Luis García.
Raúl will take over Castilla in Segunda B after the side failed to obtain promotion through the playoffs under Manolo Díaz, who replaced Solari when the Argentinean took over from Lopetegui. Díaz’s side lost their playoff first-round tie against Cartagena 3-3 on away goals and the coach, who will make way for Raúl, will return to the post he held before relieving Solari as chief of the Real Madrid academy.