Raul Gonzalez has claimed that it was 'his dream' to join the New York Cosmos after being unveiled by the American club on Tuesday.
The legendary forward moved to the reboot of the famous NASL club in October, despite having announced his retirement earlier in the year, and he admitted it was always his intention to wind down his career in the United States.
"Everyone knows my career. For eight months I had Giovanni [Savarese] calling me every month, trying to sell me the Cosmos project," he explained at his official presentation.
"It was my dream to come to the United States and play for the Cosmos, who have had players like Pele, Beckenbauer or Chinaglia represent them in the past.
"When I arrived, I had no doubts about signing for this great club, initially playing for them and then helping develop the academy.
"Gio gave me passion and that's why I'm here. It's a great challenge for my family and I. I will invest all my effort into the project.
"I've signed for two years, but it may be much longer than that. I've come to live in one of the best cities in the world.
"If in six months my body tells me enough is enough, I'll work full-time at the academy.
"I've said that there's no time frame here. I hope to be in New York for a long time. The academy can't be built in only three or four years.
"I've always wanted to play in the United States, and this project has it all for me.
"It's the right place to finish my career because my passion is to play and my body is still resisting retirement."
Raul, who will wear his iconic No 7 at Cosmos, then revealed that he could never represent a Spanish club other than Real Madrid, as he spoke of his desire to one day return to Santiago Bernabeu in a non-playing capacity.
"I'll return to Madrid one day, because it's my club, but now I'm in another phase of my career, where I hope to gain experience," he added.
"If I went to Spain, I'd only work for Madrid, as they're my home. It's where I came from and have friends, but for now I'm focused on this project.
"I will follow them from New York. They're always playing at a very high level, but the season is very long and a record can break."
