Raúl García will reach 550 League games and equal Raúl González as the third footballer with the most games

The same day that Athletic was defeated in Ipurua against Eibar, on August 30, 2015, the Bilbao club announced the urgent signing of Raúl García (Zizur Mayor, 35 years old).

In the Biscayan capital, the news was received well and badly.

The Navarrese footballer was one of the most hated and feared players by the San Mamés fans, but it took him less than half an hour to convince many of his detractors with his first goal against Getafe.

The doubts in Bilbao did not have them, for example, in Atlético de Madrid.

"A man is leaving," Simeone sentenced at his farewell.

The same thing he did in Pamplona and Madrid, he has repeated in his last destination, where he gives each match an example of professionalism.

“For us he was a great signing, a different player from what we had at that time”, recalls Jon Aspiazu,

assistant coach with Ernesto Valverde.

“Combatant arrival, with a lot of character”.

On Saturday, precisely against Atlético, he will match another Raúl —González Blanco— on the League podium.

With 550 matches, he will only have the inexhaustible Joaquín (596), who is five years older, and Andoni Zubizarreta (622).

All thanks to a long career and the confidence of the technicians.

The one who made him debut in the First Division was the Mexican Javier Aguirre, in the 2004/05 season, in which he alternated with the Osasuna subsidiary.

The following year, he started for the first team, and in 2006/07, with Ziganda on the bench, he scored his first European goal, at Ibrox Park, against Rangers.

The following year he was transferred to Atlético.

He was already beginning to be put as a model.

"It is.

He has personality, but he is not someone who is overwhelming, ”says Aspiazu.

"He is very professional and sets an example with his behavior," he says.

"He has charisma and the quality of pushing the team when things are tough."

With Osasuna he played 101 league games and scored 20 goals in four seasons;

with Atlético, 216 games in eight seasons, with 25 goals.

At Athletic, converted into a striker, he has played 232 games and has scored 62 goals in seven seasons.

Javier Aguirre took him to Atlético.

Raúl García's first years there were full of doubts, and he was loaned back to Osasuna.

There he met Mendilibar.

Raúl acknowledges that this was perhaps one of the best years of his career.

He returned to Atlético as Simeone's soldier.

Later, to Athletic, as a striker, and now, at 35 years old, the ascent to the podium of the players with the most League appearances.

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