Where are they now: Raul headed to Germany

Stop me if you've heard this one before: washed up player, seeks new challenges in a foreign land.

No I'm not talking about another European coming to MLS, that general statement covers Raul Gonzalez. The former Real Madrid and Spain star is headed to Germany's Schalke, after signing a two-year deal yesterday.

With Spain's Euro 2008 title and 2010 World Cup trophy, it's easy to forget how dominant Raul was when the national team wasn't at quite the level it is today.

He joined Schalke on a free transfer, after spending his entire pro career (15 years) with Real Madrid.

"I'm looking forward to starting on a new challenge," Raul said. "It's an important challenge for me."

Coach Felix Magath, who secured Raul's agreement on Tuesday evening, said it was "great news for Schalke."

"I'm glad that we succeeded in enthusing such an exceptional footballer and world-class goal scorer about a move to the Bundesliga and to Schalke," Magath said. "His signing is a decisive step in our efforts to strengthen and restructure the squad."

Schalke had a gap to fill in its attack after Kevin Kuranyi left for Dynamo Moscow at the end of last season. Kuranyi's 18 goals helped the club to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich, qualifying it for Champions League play.

Raul is Schalke's second signing from Real Madrid in the offseason, joining former Germany defender Christoph Metzelder, who spent three injury-filled seasons at Madrid and saw little playing time.

Raul announced his departure from Real Madrid on Monday.

"I want to experience another type of football, a different culture -- that's an important challenge in life," he said at the time. "German or English football -- those are the only two places I would go ... my motivation is to keep playing football."

Raul was mostly relegated to the bench at Madrid following a spending spree by the club last summer.

At Real Madrid, Raul won three Champions League titles, six La Liga titles and two International Cups.

He leaves with 228 league goals for Madrid and a record 44 goals in 102 appearances for Spain, though he hasn't played for the national team since 2006.

Raul is also the leading scorer in UEFA competitions with 66 goals, including 64 in the Champions League.