Berlin: Schalke 04 forward Raul is to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires, the Bundesliga club said on Thursday. The 34-year-old has been at the Gelsenkirchen club for two seasons, scoring 27 Bundesliga goals in 63 matches.
Schalke had made the former Real Madrid and Spain captain an offer to stay, but the club said that he has decided to leave. "He will explain his reasons for the move...and his plans for the future in due course," the club said in a statement.
German media reported that Raul could continue his career in Qatar, after the veteran striker told them that he had two offers from outside Europe, though he did not specify.
"My future lies outside Europe in a league that is not so strong in playing terms as the Bundesliga," the player told reporters. "It was not an easy decision to make. I have had two wonderful years and will always have a place for Schalke in my heart."
Raul, whose international career ended in 2006, joined Schalke after he became surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, the club where he had been a talismanic figure. It was uncertain how well he would adapt to rainy, industrial Gelsenkirchen, where Schalke have an almost cult-like following, after the more refined surroundings of the Bernabeu.
He adapted well, however, scoring 13 goals in his first Bundesliga season and five more in the Champions League, taking his all-time tally in Europe's top club competition to a record with 71 goals as Schalke reached the semi-finals. He also won a German Cup winners' medal, scoring once along the way.
Raul, who turns 35 in June, has continued to consistently find the net this term with 14 more goals in the Bundesliga, two in the Cup and four in the Europa League. In all, he has scored 39 goals for the Royal Blues. The club, meanwhile, is third in the top division with three games left to play and on course for a Champions League place next season.
"Raul is a complete team player, who will give everything for the team and the club until his last match," said coach Huub Stevens. "I have great respect for him."
Schalke managing director Horst Heldt said Raul would get a farewell match in 2013, likely against a Spanish club, and that Schalke would retire his No. 7 jersey for the time being.
Schalke chairman Clemens Toennies said Raul had given Schalke a "piece of glamour" and praised his commitment. "Adios and don't forget us," Toennies said.
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