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Recently, the captain of the Spanish national team, Raul, who has been recovering from a serious knee injury for three months, expressed his hope that he will be in excellent form for the upcoming World Cup in Germany starting in two months, even though he has not yet secured a place in the main lineup of "Real" since his return.
"Things seem to be getting better - Raul was quoted by the Spanish sports newspaper "Marca" on Tuesday. - I feel great now, and my knee is not causing any problems. I hope that the World Cup will be great for me."
The 28-year-old Spaniard suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the knee during the "El Clasico" match against "Barcelona" last November, in which the Royal club was defeated 3-0. After this injury, Raul, who usually plays as an attacking midfielder, returned to the field only in mid-February.
However, he has not yet reclaimed his place in the starting lineup of the Royal club since then. He has to compete with Ronaldo, Robinho, Julio Baptista, and Antonio Cassano for his position.
Nevertheless, "Real" captain, who did not play in the second "El Clasico" of this season last weekend, is confident that he will play more as the season draws to a close.
"I hope to play more in the remaining seven matches of this season to gain the necessary form," said Raul. "The World Cup will start in June, by then we will play three friendly matches (for the Spanish national team) and I think I will be in good shape."
The support for the player was also expressed by the coach of the Spanish national team, Luis Aragones.
"If the match against Ukraine (Spain's first match in the World Cup - ed.) took place tomorrow, Raul would probably not play," said the coach. "But I know that he will play, that he will be in the starting lineup for the rest of the "Real" matches this season and will participate in the World Cup. He is a vital player for Spain."
Raul is the all-time top scorer for the Spanish national team, scoring 42 goals in 92 matches.
