- Full nameRaúl Bravo Sanfélix
- Place of birthGandía
- Date of birth14/04/1981
A versatile defender, centenarian and La Novena champion
Real Madrid appearances: 133
Goals: 4
The 2001/02 season saw Raúl Bravo explode onto the first-team scene. Having made an impact for the academy side in the Segunda B, on 6 October 2001 he made his Real Madrid debut in a LaLiga win at the Bernabéu. Del Bosque was the coach who gave him a chance in the left-back position at just 20 years old.
That campaign, Raúl Bravo combined appearances for Castilla and the first team, being involved on the road to the ninth European Cup with games against Lokomotiv, Porto, Sparta Prague and Panathinaikos. After a brief loan spell at Leeds the following season, he returned to Real Madrid in 2003/04 to produce his best numbers as a madridista.
That season, he showed all his versatility under the guidance of Carlos Queiroz, who used him most often as a central defender, making 53 appearances. Raúl Bravo would play for the first team for three further years, breaking the 100-game mark and being a regular as part of the squad's rotation. His physicality and fighting spirit also led him to earn 14 Spanish nationals caps.
Honours
- 1 European Cup
- 1 Intercontinental Cup
- 1 European Super Cup
- 2 LaLiga titles
- 1 Spanish Super Cup