Raúl Albiol: The Valenciano at Villarreal

The Spanish defender born in Vilamarxant, Valencia, was brought up with a football-loving father and siblings. His padre (father), Miguel, played for lower-league outfit, Benidorm CF, and his older brother; another Miguel, represented Rayo Vallecano for much of his career. Raúl 'El Chorí' (petty thief) Albiol, started out his career at Valencia CF, making his first-team debut in September 2003, featuring in the UEFA Cup. From here, he was sent on loan to Getafe, where he made his La Liga debut in January 2005. Whilst playing for the Madrid based team, he was involved in a car accident that put him in intensive care. Luckily, he fully recovered and showed great resilience; a trait that he is now synonymous with.

Source: Diario AS

Getting a foothold in Valencia

On his return to his local side from Getafe, Raúl was able to have his first chance to prove himself for Valencia in the 2005/06 campaign. His versatility was what led him to play regularly in the first team. At that time, Los murciélagos (the bats), were competing at the top-end of the table and showing strong performances in Europe. Raúl's inclusion progressed the side further, as seen with the club winning the 2007/08 Copa del Rey against the side that gave him his first taste of La Liga action: Getafe. His performances saw him called up to La Selección (the Spanish national team) for the 2008 Euro winning side. Life was going good for Raúl. During his four seasons at his local team, he had gained numerous plaudits who wanted to secure his signature. In the summer of 2009, with domestic and international success achieved, it was time for a new desafio (challenge).

Source: Getty Images

Capital calling

Raúl opted to sign for the ever-dominant Real Madrid. He cost Los Blancos (The Whites) €15 million, becoming the first signing under the infamous Presidente, Florentino Pérez, as he began his second spell in charge of the club. Another player who joined the club that summer was no other than Cristiano Ronaldo, in a world record fee for the time- we all know how his career panned out... For Raúl at least, he became an ever-present in his first season due to injuries across the defence of Real, which ruled out Pepe among others. After this promising start, the following season saw José Mourinho become manager, in a move that would mark the beginning of the end for the Valenciano (person from Valencia) in Madrid, as Ricardo Carvalho was the preferred choice at defensa lateral derecho (right-back). During his time at the club, he won one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and one Super Copa. Internationally, he was part of the squad that won the 2010 Copa Mundial (World Cup) and 2010 Euros- proving that he was right to test himself at Real Madrid in order to get selected for Spain and experience these great achievements in Spanish footballing history.

Source: Goal.com

Source: depor.com

An Italian Job

After making 18 appearances in the 2012/13 season for Real Madrid, Raúl needed to apply himself more. As he was approaching his prime years, featuring in every game was the bare minimum that he required. It was Rafa Benítez, then managing S.S.C Napoli, who could promise him the game time he much desired. This faith was seen when considering that Raúl amassed 30+ appearances in each of his first three seasons. Raúl did not choose Napoli for an easy career move, however, he wanted to win and lead the team to success; as he had done in Madrid and Valencia. His leadership was one of the driving factors behind Napoli's Coppa Italia win in 2013/14 and their Supercoppa Italiana win on the back of this. He brought stability to 'Gli Azzurri' and will be revered for his role in their cup success in his second year with them. Raúl's performances not only sured up the defence, his drive to push the side up the table brought regular European football to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. During his 6 seasons in Naples, he left with 180 features, all of which he made count. Having succeeded in his first non-Spanish club and on the wrong side of 30, Raúl was now ready to return closer to home.

Source: FourFourTwo.com

Dreaming with Villarreal

In summer 2019, Villarreal presented itself as the ideal club for Raúl to see out his last few seasons, whilst still playing at the highest level. He signed a three-year contrato for El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine). Being close to where he was from originally, representing a club with a rich history and loyal fans, made for the perfect move. In his first season, the side finished 5th- enough to qualify for this season's Europa League. A fairy-tale run was just beginning. The 35-year-old defensador (defender) has been in the headlines this week for leading Villarreal helping the side use the competition to reach the final. Scoring an important goal against Arsenal in the semis, he give his team the hope of going one further and causing another upset in the cup.

With Villarreal poised to face Man United in the final, Raúl was ready. After all, he is a futbolista (footballer) who has won the lot. Internationally and domestically, with clubs in Spain and also in Italy. It was his time to use his experience to inspire his new team to dream and do the unthinkable. Personally for Raúl, with time ticking on his career, the pressure was on him to win another title was clear for all to see. On Wednesday night, in Polonia (Poland), he led out Unai Emery's team as capitán, in a game where they were widely seen as desvalidos (underdogs). Under the floodlights in Gdansk, with hair in a top-knot and a strong beard, he stood as an imposing leader of men. For Raúl, playing in big finals is a commonality. Yet, for his club, this was Villarreal's chance to get their hands on the first major title in their history. For a town with a población (population) of 50,000, they needed to be street-smart and hope to find luck if they were to beat the Red Devils of Manchester. Raúl and his team had the power to give the town a night to remember for eternity. If they could somehow beat United, they would become immortalised, sin duda (without a doubt).

Source: UEFA.com

In a game dominated by United, Raúl stood out for putting his body on the line; as he has done for many years, leading by example. It was a tough game for the Spanish side, with little opportunity to get themselves into the game, with United dominating possession and chances. But hold on they did, as the game finished 1-1 in regular time. Goals scored by Gerard Moreno, of Villarreal, and veteran-striker Edinson Cavani, of Manchester United. Extra-time could not split the two sides, meaning that only penalties could separate the two.

Both sides were on a perfect run. At 6-6, Raúl took the seventh penalty for his side. He calmly sent his compatriot, David de Gea, the wrong way, as he slotted his effort to the bottom right. The tanda de penaltis (penalty shootout) ended in an emphatic 11-10 win for Villarreal, securing an historic victory. Raúl said in his post-match interview that the team had achieved a dream for the entire pueblo (town) and that they had to suffer to do it, he knew how much it meant to the fans back home. Another great accomplishment in his career. What is left for Raúl remains to be seen, whether that be a new chapter in management or not, it is safe to say that he is a legend to his people- the people of Valencia.

Source: theathletic.com

Cover image source: yscpl.net