Spanish Debate: Are Raúl's Spain Days Over?

Ewan Macdonald asks if Raúl is destined never to pull on the red shirt of España again in light of his being left out of yet another international squad...

Raúl used to wear the Spanish captain's armband on international nights for La Furia Roja. Now he no doubt wears a silk robe as he sits in his plus living room watching the games from afar.

It's quite a come-down for a man still revered by many fans of the national side as a hero, but it's one that could prove irreversible after new boss Vicente del Bosque yet again left him out of the squad.

The initial pool of players called up for the impending World Cup qualifiers with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Armenia was, unsurprisingly, without Raúl. Having missed out on Euro 2008, those players who did bring continental success to the Iberian peninsula were naturally (and quite correctly) favoured. But when Fernando Torres withdrew due to injury the door seemed open for Raúl.

Instead, though, Bojan Krkic - already a member of the international squad, but one robbed of a debut due to injury - was called up as Del Bosque put his faith in the youth. Raúl was sidelined yet again.

Grim Ending

This means that the Madrid boy's last appearance in a red shirt came against Northern Ireland way back in 2006. As if one needs reminding, this was that game at Winsdor Park - a nadir for the modern Spanish side as they lost out 3-2 to a David Healy hat-trick.

He may have played all 90 minutes, but his card was marked as an international under Luis Aragonés. Never again would he play under the 'Wise Man of Hortaleza', and what's more, he was barely even under consideration.

At the time - late 2006, early 2007 - it in fact seemed to be the right decision as Raúl's domestic form took a dip. But thousands of 'Raúlistas' across Spain disputed the manager's choice - on one notable occasion some months later, a television personality donned a Raúl masked and heckled Aragonés until the manager responded with some choice shouts of his own. Yet it stood.

In the end Spain finished their Euro 2008 qualification campaign in strong fashion, but Raúl was beginning to hit top form at home, too. Madrid marched to the 2007-08 title with the captain front and centre of their efforts, and the call was renewed for him to return to the squad.

Comeback?

However, he did not. Having been overheard telling Luis at a party that he would be at Euro 2008 come hell or high water, the country's top goalscorer later convened a press conference - with Aragonés by his side, amazingly enough - asking the press to leave the issue alone "for the good of Spain."

This was a fairly magnamonious gesture, but one that also highlighted the futility of his attempting to get back into the squad. Aragonés did not trust him - whether this was for on-pitch or off-pitch reasons was never entirely made clear - and despite the call of many to include the resurgent blanco in the Euro 2008 squad, he stayed at home. (Incidentally, virtually all of Goal.com's Spanish team backed Raúl for Euro 2008.)

Undaunted, Spain went on to win the tournament in quite spectacular fashion, Raúl no doubt looking wistfully on. But with Aragonés leaving and his former Madrid coach coming into the hotseat, a comeback may have been on the cards.

Del Bosque

Yet it has not be. There has been no reunion for the coach and his player: Del Bosque, who has done admirably well to keep the tabloids at bay in this issue, has stated that form and form alone dictates call-ups. Raúl, dipping back to 2006 levels of performance, simply hasn't got what it takes, sayeth del Bosque.

And this is key. Aragonés occasionally raised the form issue, but more often than not his smirking demeanour suggested that there were other factors at play. Were there? It's certainly possible. Talk of a small 'mafia' running the dressing room on international meetings probably had a hint of truth to it. But Aragonés wouldn't either confirm or deny such issues. He allowed gossip to rule the airwaves and influence his selection. The sensible thing to do would have been to deny everything and say that Raúl didn't fit his tactics, or his form wasn't quite up to it. Del Bosque has done this, and as such the silence in the press is golden.

In this way Spain have dodged a Beckham-esque bullet. Fabio Capello's early tenure in charge of England has been dogged by speculation over the former Madrid man - will he play, won't he? Will he be the captain, won't he? It's clear to see that such concerns have distracted manager, player, and squad alike when there are far more pressing issues - such as winning matches - to attend to. Admittedly Capello's situation is a little different: England are at a time of transition, while Spain are on a winning streak; Beckham, too, was inches away from his 100th cap while Raúl has already passed the century mark. But overall del Bosque has done well to turn the focus away from Raúl - and to his immense credit, so has the man himself.

That's right: it's now all about form, at least publicly. No matter what's going on behind the scenes, del Bosque has started the public discourse on his terms, and now he's mostly being left alone to complete the job that he was appointed for.

Let's put it this way. If he doesn't play again it is for the good of the Spanish national side. If he does, it's for the good of the Spanish national side. That, surely, is how it should be. Aragonés will be remembered as a winner, but this is one lesson that he didn't quite pick up.

Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

What do you think? Has Raúl earned a shot at the current squad? If not, do you think he can ever fight his way back into contention? Let us know your thoughts.