Raul: Barcelona tried to sign me twice


The Spain legend turned down the opportunity to make the move to the Blaugrana and Juventus, while stressing that Jose Mourinho did not play a role in his decision to leave.
Real Madrid icon Raul has revealed he had the opportunity to join Barcelona on two occasions, but opted against a move to the Catalans as he did not want to join Madrid's arch rival.

The experienced attacker spent nearly his entire career at the Santiago Bernabeu side after signing for the club from Atletico and he has stressed that a move to the Camp Nou side was never a serious option for him due to his strong ties with Madrid.

"Barcelona twice showed an interest in signing me. I could never play for Barca, though, because I am a real Madridista," Raul told World Soccer. "Madrid is my city. I was born and raised in Madrid. My brother, my sister, my friends, my family, they all live in Madrid."

The former Spain international then went on to stress that Barca was not the only team that tried to lure him away, as Juventus attempted to sign him more than once, too.

"Juventus made me a very interesting offer three times, but I didn't see myself living in Turin," he said.

Raul eventually left Madrid for Schalke in the summer of 2010 after Jose Mourinho's arrival at the club, but he has stressed that the Portuguese coach did not play a role in his exit.

"My decision to leave had nothing to do with Mourinho. I had already decided that I wanted a new challenge before his arrival," the striker went on.

The 35-year-old made over 700 official appearances for Real Madrid between 1994 and 2010.

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