Raúl Tamudo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Raúl Tamudo

Tamudo with Sabadell in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1977-10-19) 19 October 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Santa Coloma, Spain
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Fórum
	Gramenet
1992–1996	Espanyol
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–1998	Espanyol B	46	(20)
1997–2010	Espanyol	340	(129)
1998	→ Alavés (loan)	6	(0)
1999	→ Lleida (loan)	14	(5)
2010–2011	Real Sociedad	31	(7)
2011–2012	Rayo Vallecano	32	(9)
2012	Pachuca	9	(0)
2013	Rayo Vallecano	4	(1)
2013–2015	Sabadell	32	(8)
Total		514	(179)
National team
1997	Spain U20	1	(0)
1998–2000	Spain U21	11	(5)
2000	Spain U23	6	(1)
2000–2007	Spain	13	(5)
1998–2000	Catalonia	2	(1)
Honours Representing  Spain Men's football Summer Olympics Silver 2000 Sydney Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Raúl Tamudo Montero (born on October 19, 1977) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player whose main job was to score goals.

Raúl Tamudo is considered a legend at Espanyol, a football club in Spain. He was the team's captain for almost ten years. During his time there, he played nearly 400 official games. He also helped the club win two Copa del Rey trophies. He is still their all-time top goal scorer with 140 goals.

He played a total of 407 matches in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. In these games, he scored 146 goals over 17 seasons. Besides Espanyol, he also played for Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Espanyol

Raúl Tamudo was born in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a city near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. He started his football journey in Espanyol's youth system. The club actually bought him from a local team called Gramenet for just six footballs!

Before becoming a regular player for Espanyol, he spent two short loan periods in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second-highest league. He finally became a key player for Espanyol in the 1999–2000 season. From then on, he was always in the starting lineup. He scored at least ten goals in nine different La Liga seasons.

He helped his team, nicknamed the Pericos, win two Copa del Rey trophies. In the 2000 final against Atlético Madrid, he scored a goal by cleverly taking the ball from the goalkeeper with his head. He also played a very important part in the 2006 final. He scored in the first two minutes of the game and then helped Luis García score the second goal.

In 2000, Tamudo was almost going to join Rangers, a team in Scotland. However, the deal fell through at the last minute because of a failed medical check. Just two days later, he scored a goal in a UEFA Cup match against Grazer AK. Espanyol won that game 4–0 at home.

On the very last day of the 2006–07 season, Tamudo made history. He scored two goals in a 2–2 draw against their city rivals Barcelona. These goals brought his total to 112 goals in the first division. This made him Espanyol's all-time top scorer, beating a record set in 1983. His goals also helped Real Madrid win the league title that year. In the UEFA Cup that same year, he scored two goals. Espanyol reached the final but lost to another Spanish team, Sevilla. A few months later, he scored a winning goal against Sevilla in a league match, giving Espanyol a 3–2 victory.

In the next two seasons, Tamudo faced some injury problems and wasn't playing as well. He lost his regular starting spot to a new player, Iván Alonso. However, in the last game of the 2008–09 season, he scored three goals against Málaga. Espanyol won 3–0, and he was cheered by the fans when he left the field. He ended up being the team's top scorer again that season with six goals.

The 2009–10 season was tough for Tamudo. He had more injuries and also had disagreements with the team's manager, Mauricio Pochettino. He even lost his captain armband. The team also signed another striker, Dani Osvaldo, which meant less playing time for Tamudo. He only played six league games that season and didn't score any goals.

Later Years and Retirement

In August 2010, when he was almost 33, Tamudo signed a one-year contract with Real Sociedad. This team had just returned to the top division after three years. He started well, scoring three goals in his first four games.

Tamudo playing for Rayo Vallecano in his return to the Cornellà-El Prat Stadium in 2012.

On August 26, 2011, Tamudo joined Rayo Vallecano, another team that had just been promoted to the top league. He was a regular starter in his first season. He even scored against his old club, Espanyol, though Rayo lost that game 5–1. On May 13, 2012, he came off the bench and scored the only goal in the 90th minute against Granada. This crucial goal helped Rayo Vallecano avoid being relegated to a lower league.

At 34, Tamudo moved outside of Spain for the first time. He joined Mexico's Pachuca on June 14, 2012. However, he didn't score any goals there and was released in December. He then returned to Spain and rejoined Rayo Vallecano in January.

Tamudo scored in his second game back with Rayo Vallecano, but they lost 3–1 to Barcelona. After that season, he signed a one-year contract with Sabadell, a team in the second division.

At the start of the 2014–15 season, Tamudo scored four goals in his first six league games. This helped his team reach tenth place in the league. However, in October, he got a serious knee injury during training. He was out for several months. When he returned, his team, Sabadell, was relegated to a lower league. Raúl Tamudo announced his retirement from football on September 5, 2015, at the age of 37.

In December 2022, it was announced that Tamudo would play in the Kings League. This is a new seven-a-side football league organized by famous internet personalities and former football players. In January 2023, he made his debut for Ibai Llanos' team, Porcinos FC. He was one of the star players, along with Mexican footballer Javier Hernández.

International Career

Raúl Tamudo played for the Spanish national team. His first game was on August 16, 2000, against Germany. He returned to the team after two years and scored an important goal in a 3–1 win against Denmark on October 13, 2007, during a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2008. He played a total of 13 games for Spain and scored 5 goals.

Before playing for the senior national team, Tamudo was part of Spain's team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. They won a silver medal in football. He scored a goal in the semi-final match against the United States.

Honours and Achievements

Espanyol

• Copa del Rey:
  • Winner: 1999–2000, 2005–06
• UEFA Cup
  • Runner-up: 2006–07

Spain U23

• Summer Olympic
  • Silver medal: 2000