Raúl González has revealed in an interview on the official Al Sadd website that he was the one who decided to leave Real Madrid: "It was my decision to leave Real Madrid," he said.

Raúl said he holds no grudges against his former club: "I spent the best years of my life there and I was fortunate to play with a great generation of players and win major titles. I had another year left on my contract, but chose to taste a new experience. That's what I did with Schalke. Now I'm going to try to do the same with Al Sadd."

In spite of the player's vast experience in the game, he does not consider himself to be a legend: "I work as hard as I can in training, in the games we all work together as a group. Pressure can only be a positive thing. There's no point to life without pressure. Sportsmen have to deal with pressure every day to be able to meet their objectives."

When asked about the recent success of the Spanish national team, Raúl said: "I would have liked to participate in the tournaments, but that's the way it goes. I now spend more time with my family and I'm pleased with what I achieved playing for my country, which is now considered the best in the world after its recent success."