Real Madrid captain Raúl González discussed his career as a footballer with Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Your thoughts on the decision taken my Ramón Calderón?

Players want institutional stability and unity. What took place is out of our hands and we try to stay out of it, but I can’t say that it doesn’t affect us.

What would you tell fans at this crucial time?

That the club belongs to them, the members. They must be the ones to talk and express the opinions. We try to focus on our job and talk little. I am sure we will have their support. We are working well right now and we cannot throw in the towel.

Where do you get all your faith and strength from?

My strength comes from the way of being, my personality, where I was born and where I was raised. I am a neighborhood kid and it never hurts to remember that.

The end of Raúl, which has been prophesied about for so long, is a scientific enigma.

One, two or three… Four seems like a long way away. Whatever it may be, I want to truly enjoy football, training, meeting players and going to places like Anfield to play matches that I dream about.

It’s not common in this field. Pep Guardiola did it a lot.

We have always had a special relationship. My first goal as an international came off a pass from him. We always speak about football. I remember asking him Van Gaal and if he was really the way they said he was. As a player he was already thinking like a coach. He knows the organization and its values and knows how to transmit them. He has recovered players who look like different men now.

They are now turning up the heat like at the beginning of the Rijkaard era, like you always have alone or accompanied, against a rival defense.

That’s really where you put the adversary against the ropes. We used to have 50 or 60 metres ahead of us when we’d rob the ball, and that was too much. Madrid needs to play 70% of its game on the last third. If that’s not the case, something is wrong. We might be able to win, but the feeling after the 90 minutes are over won’t be good.

The counterattack that this team uses are a product of the circumstances that Juande Ramos found.

He layed the foundation. He started from the back, but always thinking about attacking. We had to stop feeling so vulnerable. Teams scored every time they reached the box. Real Unión scored six on us, Numancia scored three, Malaga four… We had to advance our lines. We are convinced we’re on the right track.

Raúl knows his football to perfection.

I like possession football, control and speed and lots of mobility. I like teams like Barcelona who pressure on the opponent’s third. They have the advantage of using a model that favors the adaptation of their players. Then there were other teams that played at a fast rhythm such as Valencia coached by Benítez. Constant rhythm and speed is what captivates me about English football. We have recovered the feeling of unity, strength and winning attitude. We won a league under Capello that couldn’t have been scripted any better.

How do you withstand being the center of a national debate?

It doesn’t just happen to me. It happens to actors, singers, politicians… This country has a lot of great things, but a lot of bad ones as well. The worst is that it doesn’t protect those that have done important things. Rather, they are praised abroad. It’s not that Spain doesn’t respect me, but every time I go overseas I am treated in unimaginable fashion. Other countries take better care.

There are other examples. Paolo Maldini at Milan and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United, who are treated like patrimony of tradition and the brand.

Ufff! There are so many changes here. The time will come for me to think about my future, but I will first need time to escape. To think about it would be distracting right now and I must focus all my energy on playing. I would love to remain connected to Madrid, but I don’t see myself behind a desk or as a coach. Perhaps with the younger people. A lot is said about Real Madrid’s academy, but I think it can be improved. That would be an appealing job.

What is Raúl like… that footballer that so many kids look up to?

I am nice and that’s what I tell people, although I know I make another impression.

Why?

Things happen that hurt a lot. I was only 17 when I joined the first team, and at 20 I had to give a press conference outside the club. I wondered what would happen at 27 or 28 if it was happening at 20. I like to go unnoticed. I don’t want to see myself on television. I just change channels. I like to keep out of things. I sometimes see myself in a headline and say to myself, “But I didn’t say anything.” I know I would have come close to winning award had I been more media friendly. But my reward is to remain put, and in time with so many newspapers and debates that speak about football 30 hours out of every 24… Well, just a little about football.

What does football teach that you can pass on to kids?

That you can learn things from everything that surrounds you and that the whole world has so much to offer if you are willing to learn.

Four children with you wife Mamen Sanz, and those who know them say they never ask for what they need.

They are small. Sports right now are the rewards at school.

And what is a goal?

The clearest and cleanest expression of happiness.