Latest Red Bull Targets: Ze Roberto & Raul?

With each week that passes, more and more big-named footballers are being linked with the New York Red Bulls. We all know about the club’s purported interest in Barcelona forward Thierry Henry, and heard the reports suggesting that the club was trying to lure Milan legend Paolo Maldini out of retirement. This week bring’s two new stars into the picture: Ze Roberto and Raul.

Big Apple Soccer scribe Michael Lewis noted on Tuesday that a source of his claims New York has shown interest in former Brazilian international Ze Roberto. The midfielder, who will turn 36 this July, has had a distinguished career in Germany, making 282 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich since heading to the Bundesliga in 1998. He joined Hamburg SV this past summer, signing a 2-year deal with the club, but has been limited to 12 appearances for them thus far because of an ankle injury from which he has only recently recovered.

Ze Roberto made a total of 84 appearances for the national team of Brazil from 1995-2007, scoring six goals in that span. He was on the roster for his country’s appearances in the following international tournaments:

- 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- 1997 Copa America (winners)
- 1997 Confederations Cup (winners)
- 1998 FIFA World Cup
- 1999 Copa America (winners)
- 1999 Confederations Cup
- 2005 Confederations Cup (winners)
- 2006 FIFA World Cup

Toward the end of the week, rumors of a Red Bulls swoop for Real Madrid captain Raul started percolating. Madrid newspapers AS and Marca both published reports claiming that the MLS club was chasing the Spanish legend, who has seen his playing time with Real decrease drastically during the current season as other players who have been brought in by the club push him lower on the team’s depth chart.

Raul, who has spent his entire career with Real Madrid, was awarded a ‘contract for life’ by the club in 2008 that automatically renews as long as he makes at least 30 appearances each season. Hitting that threshold last season was no problem, as he started 35 games and appeared as a substitute in two more, scoring 18 goals. He is on pace to hit the 30-game level again this season, but his role has been changed to one more of a substitute, as 11 of his 19 appearances this year have come from off the bench. He’s scored three goals for the club, but none since mid-October, a lengthy drought for a player who has scored over 225 goals in his career.

Internationally, Raul made over 100 appearances for Spain from 1996-2006, becoming the all-time leading goal-scorer for his country with 44 goals in his career. He has represented Spain in the following international tournaments:

- 1996 Summer Olympics
- 1998 FIFA World Cup
- Euro 2000
- 2002 FIFA World Cup
- Euro 2004
- 2006 FIFA World Cup

Marca insists that Raul is lining up a move to the U.S. for this coming summer, but that would require either Real Madrid to release him from his contract at the end of the season or for New York to pony up a transfer fee. It would also limit the Red Bulls from signing another Designated Player in the short-term (including Henry), as MLS rules state that no team can have more than two DP’s at the same time; the Red Bulls currently count former Aston Villa forward Juan Pablo Angel as their lone DP.