Olympiacos-Sydney Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 1st. RAUL BRAVO Having enjoyed a rapid rise through Real Madrid CF's youth ranks, left-footed defender Raúl Bravo's career at the Santiago Bernabéu has been restricted by the presence of Roberto Carlos. Club Bravo made his first-team debut against Athletic Club Bilbao on 6 October 2001 and was soon pushing for a place in the side who claimed the UEFA Champions League title. Playing only twice in the first half of the 2002/03 season, he was loaned to Leeds United AFC in January 2003 but struggled in England and returned to the Spanish capital that summer. The next season was Bravo's most successful to date as he made 32 league appearances, impressing in central defence after switching from left-back. He reverted back to the fringes of the starting lineup in the two subsequent seasons, although he did sign a new three-year contract with the club in March 2006. National team Bravo represented Spain at all youth levels before his full international debut in a friendly against Hungary in August 2002. He went on to start all three of Spain's matches at UEFA EURO 2004™. However, Luis Aragonés, who took over for 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying, preferred Pablo Ibáñez and Asier Del Horno, meaning Bravo missed out on a place in Spain's squad for the finals tournament in Germany. Did you know? He once said: "I don't mind being on the bench for Real Madrid. Roberto Carlos, the best left-back in the world, plays in the same position as me and I have to learn to play alongside him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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