Raúl Takes Charge at Real Oviedo in His First Club Management Job
Raúl has been appointed manager of Real Oviedo, his first role running a senior club. The former Real Madrid striker has signed a contract that runs until June 2028, BBC Sport reports.
Oviedo play in Spain's second division, one level below La Liga, the country's top flight. Raúl replaces Julián Calero, who was sacked while the club sat ninth in the table. Managers are often dismissed when results dip, and a new coach usually has to win over players and supporters quickly.
Raúl's full name is Raúl González Blanco. He was born in Madrid on 27 June 1977 and is 49 years old, according to Real Oviedo's club website.
Most fans will know him as a player. He scored 323 goals in 741 games for Real Madrid and helped the club win six La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies, the biggest prize in European club football. He later played for Schalke in Germany, Al Sadd in Qatar and New York Cosmos in the United States. For Spain he scored 44 goals in 102 matches.
His coaching career started at home. From 2019 to 2025 he coached Real Madrid's reserve side, Castilla, where young players train and play to earn a chance in the first team. In 2025 Reuters reported that Álvaro Arbeloa had been named to replace him at Castilla.
What makes this appointment stand out is the step it represents. Raúl moves from a development squad to a club with a full first team, fighting for position in the second tier. It is a new kind of test, away from the familiar surroundings of Real Madrid's training ground.
For Oviedo, the appointment brings a well-known name to a club that is working to get back on track. The early weeks will show how quickly he can shape a team of his own and how the players respond to a coach who spent years as one of the best forwards in the game.
