Former Real Madrid striker Raul has joined Al Sadd of Qatar after leaving Schalke 04 at the end of his contract with the Bundesliga club, the Asian champions said on Saturday.
‘Al Sadd Club will held a news conference... on Sunday to introduce Raul Gonzalez to the media after signing the player who will join the team starting from next season 2012-2013,’ said a statement on Al Sadd’s website (www.al-saddclub.com).
The club did not give any further details but Spanish media reported that Raul, 34, had signed a one-year deal with Al Sadd, who finished third at the World Club Cup in December.
‘Raul has arrived in Doha and attended the final match of the Emir Cup between Al Sadd and Al Gharafa at Khalifa international stadium,’ the club’s statement added referring to a match Al Gharafa won in a penalty shootout on Saturday.
The former Spain striker had been at Schalke for two seasons, scoring 28 Bundesliga goals in 66 matches.
Last month when it was announced he would leave Schalke, Raul told reporters: ‘My future lies outside Europe in a league that is not so strong in playing terms as the Bundesliga.’
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.