Who remembers 'Lord of the Rings' Raul?

Raul Gonzalez reached 200 matches in charge of Real's youth team.

The clash with Murcia at the Di Stefano stadium was not just a regular fixture, but also the 200th time Raul sat on the coaching bench of Real Madrid Castilla - the traditional reserve team of "Los Blancos".

Raul only played one game 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 impression and became part of the club’s history.

In a youth team where both players and coaches are often short-lived, Raul did the opposite. With his 200th game, Raul surpassed Juan Ramon Lopez Caro's mark of 183 games (2001-2006) and is now second only to Juan Santisteban, who coached the youth team for 248 games between 1977 and 1987.

Raul began his coaching career at La Fabrica with the Cadete B team in the 2018/19 season, with a near-perfect record of 18 wins and 1 draw. He then took charge of Juvenil B and then continued his role at Juvenil A, winning the UEFA Youth League. That was the springboard for his leap to the head coach position of Castilla in the 2019/20 season.

Raul is quite good at youth football.

Raul's record after 199 matches is 79 wins, 64 draws and 56 losses, a win rate of 40%. He has twice led Castilla to the play-off round for promotion to Segunda (Spain's second tier), of which the 2022/23 season is considered the most impressive with 20 wins in 42 matches. In the 2020/21 season, Castilla also nearly got promoted but stopped in the semi-finals against Ibiza.

Although the team has faced many difficulties in the last two seasons, especially due to the nature of the youth team with constantly changing players, Raul has remained steadfast in his philosophy. Last season, Castilla finished 10th and had to worry about relegation. But this season, after a difficult first period, the team has strongly revived with a 10-match unbeaten streak, rising to the play-off group.

With the 200-match milestone, Raul has proven his coaching talent and affirmed his position as a comprehensive symbol of Real Madrid, from the pitch to the coaching bench. And his legendary journey at La Fabrica certainly hasn't stopped yet.