Does anyone still remember Raul from 'The Lord of the Rings'?

Raul Gonzalez has reached the milestone of 200 matches managing Real Madrid's youth teams.

The clash with Murcia at the Di Stefano stadium was not just an ordinary match, but also the 200th time Raul sat on the coaching bench of Real Madrid Castilla - the historically rich reserve team of "Los Blancos".

Raul only played one match for Castilla as a player, against Palamos in October 1994, before being promoted straight to the first team. But as a coach, he left a lasting mark and became a part of the team's history.

In a youth team where both players and coaches often only stay together for a short time, Raul did the opposite. With his 200th match, Raul surpassed Juan Ramon Lopez Caro's 183 matches (2001-2006) and is only behind Juan Santisteban, who coached the youth team for 248 matches between 1977 and 1987.

Raul began his coaching career at the La Fabrica academy with Cadete B in the 2018/19 season with a near-perfect record – 18 wins and 1 draw. He then led Juvenil B before being entrusted with Juvenil A, winning the UEFA Youth League. This served as a springboard for his leap to head coach of Castilla in the 2019/20 season.

Raul is having a knack for developing young football players.

Raul's record after 199 matches is 79 wins, 64 draws, and 56 losses, a win rate of 40%. He twice led Castilla to the Segunda Division (Spanish second division) promotion play-offs, with the 2022/23 season being considered the most impressive with 20 wins in 42 matches. In the 2020/21 season, Castilla also came close to promotion but were eliminated in the semi-finals by Ibiza.

Despite facing numerous difficulties in the last two seasons, especially due to the nature of youth teams with constantly changing squads, Raul remained steadfast in his philosophy. Last season, Castilla finished 10th and even faced relegation concerns. But this season, after a difficult start, the team has revived strongly with a 10-match unbeaten streak, climbing into the play-off group.

With 200 appearances, Raul proved his coaching prowess and solidified his position as a complete icon of Real Madrid, both on the pitch and in the dugout. And his legendary journey at La Fabrica certainly hasn't ended yet.

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