Raúl Tamudo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Raúl Tamudo

Tamudo with Sabadell in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Raúl Tamudo Montero
Date of birth	(1977-10-19) 19 October 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Santa Coloma, Spain
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	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)
International career
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)
Medal record Representing  Spain Men's football Summer Olympics Silver 2000 Sydney Team
*Club domestic league appearances and 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 player who mainly focused on scoring goals.

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

Over 17 seasons, he played 407 matches and scored 146 goals in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. Besides Espanyol, he also played for Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano in this league.

Playing for Clubs

Starting at Espanyol

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

Before becoming a regular player for Espanyol, he spent some time on loan to other teams in the Segunda División (Spain's second division). By the 1999–2000 season, he became a key player for Espanyol. For nine seasons in La Liga, he always scored at least ten goals.

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. He also played a big part in the 2006 final. He scored in the first two minutes and then helped Luis García score another goal.

In 2000, Tamudo almost joined the Scottish club Rangers. However, the deal didn't happen because of a medical check. Just two days later, he scored a goal in a UEFA Cup match.

On June 9, 2007, during the last game of the 2006–07 season, Tamudo made history. He scored two goals against their city rivals Barcelona in a 2–2 draw. These goals meant he had scored 112 goals in the first division, making him Espanyol's all-time top scorer! He broke the record set by Marañón in 1983. This result also helped Real Madrid win the league title that year.

In the UEFA Cup that season, Espanyol reached the final, and Tamudo scored two goals in seven games. They lost to another Spanish team, Sevilla. A few months later, he scored a winning goal against Sevilla again, giving Espanyol a 3–2 victory.

In the next two seasons, Tamudo faced some challenges with injuries. He also lost his starting spot to a new player, Iván Alonso. However, in the very last game of the 2008–09 season, he scored three goals against Málaga. He was cheered loudly by the fans when he left the field.

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

Later Years in Football

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 on March 11, 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, in the very last game of the season, he came off the bench and scored the only goal in the 90th minute against Granada. This crucial goal helped Rayo Vallecano avoid being sent down to a lower league!

At 34, Tamudo played 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 left the team in December. He returned to Spain and rejoined Rayo Vallecano in January 2013.

Tamudo scored in his second game back with Rayo, but they lost 3–1 to Barcelona on March 17, 2013. 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 for Sabadell. However, he got a knee injury during training in October and was out for several months. When he recovered, the team decided they didn't need him anymore. Sabadell was moved down to a lower league, and Tamudo announced his retirement from football on September 5, 2015, at the age of 37.

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

Playing for Spain

Raúl Tamudo played for the Spanish national team starting on August 16, 2000. He returned to the team after two years and scored an important goal in a 3–1 win against Denmark on October 13, 2007. His Espanyol teammate, Albert Riera, also scored in that game. Overall, Tamudo played 13 games for Spain and scored 5 goals.

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

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Goals

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tamudo goal.

List of international goals scored by Raúl Tamudo

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	21 August 2002	Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	1–0	1–1	Friendly
2	18 August 2004	Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain	Venezuela	2–1	3–2	Friendly
3				3–1
4	3 September 2005	El Sardinero, Santander, Spain	Canada	1–0	2–1	Friendly
5	13 October 2007	NRGi Park, Aarhus, Denmark	Denmark	1–0	3–1	Euro 2008 qualifying

Awards and Achievements

Espanyol

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

Spain U23

• Summer Olympic silver medal: 2000

See also

In Spanish: Raúl Tamudo para niños

• List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)