Raul Watch

For the first time this season Raul has been omitted from the Porn Star's squad for a league game. Schuster is giving his captain 'a rest'. We are not quite sure why Raul needs to put his feet up, with just two games to go and a lengthy summer break to look forward to. That said, the number 7 has started all league games this campaign bar one - the 3-1 home win over Deportivo. In that game he came off the bench to put the side ahead after finding no way through for an hour...

Just this week the 'Raul Seleccion!' debate has reared its ugly head, on the back of yet another league title win for Mr. Gonzalez and yet more goals. The argument purported by the 'Wise' Aragones for leaving the forward out of the side was that until Raul 'improved' he wouldn't be called up for the Spain squad. Yet Raul's goal tally in the league is his best since 2001. Since that year the most la liga goals hit by Raul in one campaign has been 16. The shot from outside the area which started the fiesta against Barcelona was his 18th of the year. Add four assists on that total for contributions elsewhere.

"I can't understand Raul not being in the Spain team," Ruud Van Nistelrooy said earlier this week, "and I am not the only one." Along with his teammates, Raul is certainly one of them. Stories from the flight back from Pamplona after winning the title suggest that along with songs about not selling Diarra, about selling Sergio Ramos (tongue in cheek, started by Heinze) there was also a 'Raul Seleccion!' chant. Many believe the number 7 started the chant himself...

Whatever your stance on the issue, it is hard to argue that Raul is not amongst the top four Spanish strikers right now. Fernando Torres is the form frontman right now after a stunning season for Liverpool, and not too far behind him is Dani Guiza with a remarkable 25 league goals for Mallorca this term. Valencia's David Villa still enjoys a strong reputation despite a poor season, but after those three no other striker can seriously believe they deserve to be in the Spanish squad in place of Raul.

Tonight he can sit back at watch the Zaragoza game from the comfort of his living room after one of his best seasons in the last six years. He may not like it, and maybe it should be a different story, but he will probably be sat in the same place come the 10th of June, when Spain kick off their Euro 2008 campaign against Russia.