Raúl named Castilla coach at Real Madrid in 2019

In the summer of 2019, Real Madrid handed Raúl González the job of coaching Castilla, the club's reserve team, which plays in the lower divisions of Spanish football. It was his first role in senior football as a head coach.

Raúl was already a club icon. He spent most of his playing career at Real Madrid, became one of its all-time leading scorers and captained the side before leaving in 2010. After retiring he returned to the club's structure and worked his way up through the youth teams, coaching several age groups, including the under-18 side, before being promoted to Castilla.

The appointment mattered because Castilla is the final step between Madrid's academy and the first team, and Raúl was seen as a coach who could develop young players while carrying the club's identity. His spell there became the foundation of his coaching reputation, and it is the experience cited when he was later linked with senior jobs elsewhere in Spanish football.