16 September,2021 02:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Raul de Tomas. Picture Courtesy/ La Liga
The RCD Espanyol striker just had one of his best-ever seasons, helping the Pericos return to LaLiga Santander by playing a key role for Vicente Moreno's side.
1. Raised in a modest part of Madrid, Raul de Tomas believes that his life changed entirely when Real Madrid decided to sign him for Los Blancos' youth academy. It was current Getafe CF coach Michel who made the call to bring the forward to La Fabrica, as he was the academy's director at that time.
2. His family lives and breathes football, with other relatives having links with the sport in addition to De Tomas. His brother Ruben de Tomas is currently in the Rayo Vallecano B team, while his father played for San Sebastian de los Reyes and some other teams during the 1980s and 1990s. His grandfather and uncles even played as well.
3. His nickname is RDT. However, unlike most nicknames in football, this isn't because of the way he looks or the way he plays. Instead, this nickname comes from the initials of his name Raul de Tomas.
4. With his 23 goals scored in the 2020/21 season, he was the top scorer in the division and was key to RCD Espanyol's LaLiga SmartBank triumph. This was also the striker's best season in terms of goals on an individual level. In his entire career, he has scored 92 league goals, with 18 in LaLiga Santander and the rest in Spain's second tier.
5. He was compared to Cristiano Ronaldo in the Real Madrid academy, because of their similar physical build, the fact they could both score many goals and the fact that they both led the attack for a Real Madrid team. Away from the football pitch, De Tomás is also a fan of horse riding and boxing.
Also Read: Mystery ball that stumped Virat Kohli! R Ashwin was selectors' choice for T20 World Cup
