MADRID: Real Madrid great Raul was confirmed on Thursday as coach of the club's reserve team, Castilla, for next season.

Former striker Raul, who scored 323 goals for Madrid and is one of their most successful ever players, has been promoted after gaining experience with the club's academy and under-18 sides.

A club statement, which described Raul as a "legend", read: "Raul will lead Castilla next season. Raul, who has been a coach of Cadete B and Juvenil B, will start a new professional phase at Real Madrid."

The Spaniard was linked with taking charge of the first team last season after Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari were sacked but he remained in the youth set-up.

Instead, Solari stepped up from his role in charge of Castilla and was then replaced by Zinedine Zidane, who had been given the job for the first time in 2016, also after working with the B team.

It means Raul's progress will be monitored carefully next term, with many believing him more than capable of treading the same path.

Castilla finished fourth in Group 1 of Segunda B last season but missed out on promotion after losing to Cartagena in the play-offs.

Raul left Real Madrid in 2010 after 16 seasons and is their second highest goalscorer of all time, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo. He also won six La Liga and three Champions Leagues titles with the club. —AFP