Raúl Bravo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Raúl Bravo

Bravo in action for Olympiacos in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Raúl Bravo Sanfélix
Date of birth	(1981-04-14) 14 April 1981 (age 44)
Place of birth	Gandia, Spain
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1987–1996	Palma CF
1996	Gandía
1997–2000	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1996–1997	Gandía	21	(4)
2000–2001	Real Madrid C	7	(0)
2001–2002	Real Madrid B	40	(2)
2001–2007	Real Madrid	77	(4)
2003	→ Leeds United (loan)	5	(0)
2007–2011	Olympiacos	63	(0)
2009	→ Numancia (loan)	6	(0)
2011–2012	Rayo Vallecano	6	(0)
2012–2013	Beerschot	12	(0)
2013–2014	Córdoba	31	(1)
2014–2015	Veria	23	(1)
2015–2017	Aris	25	(1)
2016	→ Veria (loan)	6	(0)
2019–2021	Gandía
2021	Pego	3	(0)
2022	Beniopa
Total		325	(13)
International career
1998	Spain U16	10	(1)
1998	Spain U17	3	(2)
2002	Spain U21	3	(0)
2002–2004	Spain	14	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raúl Bravo Sanfélix (born on 14 April 1981) is a retired Spanish football player. He mostly played as a left-back or centre-back.

Raúl Bravo grew up playing in the youth teams of Real Madrid. He then spent six years playing for their main team. During this time, he also played for the Spanish national team at Euro 2004.

He also spent several years playing in Greece, especially with Olympiacos. There, he helped his team win many important titles, including three national championships.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Real Madrid

Raúl Bravo was born in Gandia, a city in Spain. He started playing football with two local clubs. When he was 16, he joined the youth system of Real Madrid, one of the biggest football clubs in the world.

He played for Real Madrid's youth teams for a few years. Then, he moved up to their "C" team and later to their "B" team, called Real Madrid Castilla.

First Team Debut

Raúl Bravo got his chance to play for Real Madrid's main team in La Liga in October 2001. This happened because some other players were away playing for their national teams. He played his first game against Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Real Madrid won that game 2–0.

After this, he often trained with the main team. Eventually, he became a permanent player for the first team from the 2002–03 season onwards.

Loan to Leeds United

In January 2003, Raúl Bravo went on a short loan to Leeds United in England for six months. He didn't play much during this time. Later, during the Euro 2004 tournament, a football commentator noticed he looked like a much better player than he had at Leeds. However, it was hard for him to get a regular spot at Real Madrid because of the famous player Roberto Carlos.

Playing for Olympiacos

In July 2007, Raúl Bravo moved to Greece and signed a four-year contract with Olympiacos F.C.. This was a big move for him, and the transfer cost around €2.3 million.

Challenges and Successes

He didn't play much in his first year at Olympiacos because of injuries. In January 2009, he went back to Spain for a short loan spell with CD Numancia. His team struggled that season and was moved to a lower league.

When he returned to Olympiacos, Raúl Bravo showed great effort. He became the team's starting left-back. He left the club in May 2011, after helping Olympiacos win the Super League Greece title by playing in 18 matches.

Later Career Years

On 31 August 2011, Raúl Bravo returned to Spain and joined Rayo Vallecano, a team that had just been promoted to the top division. He didn't play much in his only season there.

After that, he moved to Belgium in 2012 to play for Beerschot A.C. for one year.

Return to Greece

When he was 33, Raúl Bravo went back to play in the Greek top league. He joined Veria FC. His contract ended in June 2015. Two months later, he signed a one-year deal with Aris Thessaloniki F.C., another team in Greece.

International Career

Raúl Bravo played for Spain's national youth teams. In 1997–98, he played for the under-16 team and helped them win the Algarve Tournament. He also played for the under-17 team in the Nymburk International Tournament, where he scored two goals.

Playing for Spain's Main Team

Raúl Bravo made his first appearance for the main Spanish team on 21 August 2002. It was a friendly game against Hungary.

He was chosen to play in UEFA Euro 2004. He played every minute of Spain's games in the group stage against Portugal, Russia, and the team that eventually won, Greece. He played as a defender in all these matches. After this tournament, he was not called up to the national team again. He played a total of 14 games for Spain.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours and Achievements

Real Madrid

• La Liga:
  • 2002–03
  • 2006–07
• Supercopa de España: 2003
• UEFA Champions League: 2001–02
• UEFA Super Cup: 2002

Olympiacos

• Super League Greece:
  • 2007–08
  • 2008–09
  • 2010–11
• Greek Football Cup: 2007–08

See also

In Spanish: Raúl Bravo para niños