33-year-old Mendieta announced his retirement, so how much longer can 30-year-old Raul play?
In an interview with Marca, Capello revealed some inside stories of the season, mainly about how, at the start of last season, when he first arrived at Real Madrid, he learned that Calderon and Mijatovic planned to loan out, or even sell Raul. Ultimately, it was Capello who vetoed this proposal and helped Raul regain his form.
"Raul has many stories, but when I came to the club in the 2006-07 season, the first thing I learned was that the club wanted to loan him out."
"I've known Raul for ten years, and such suggestions were incredible to me."
"Raul is a very friendly player, influential in the dressing room. On the pitch, he is tireless, a typical altruist with a natural striker's instinct. In short, this is completely different from the Raul the board described to me."
Capello paused and added, "It was also completely different from the Raul I saw."
