The return of Raul… high-altitude conditions.
The return of Raul.
ESPN.com December 6, 2007
Real Madrid have picked up where they left off last season, and are once again atop the standings in La Liga. Regardless of all the plaudits that newcomer Wesley Sneijder and in-form Robinho have been garnering, the real story has been the form of Raul who’s off to his best start in years (eight goals in 14 games) and seems to be a man on a mission.
Keep in mind that Raul was once regarded as an elite player — cited by Sir Alex Ferguson as the best player in the world as recently in 2003 — but has been nothing but mediocre (and that might be putting it kindly) the last four seasons, where he retained his starting spot solely on the basis of name recognition.
It seemed as if Raul had aged prematurely on the field — so what’s the reason for the turnaround? Apparently, Raul has a new off-field training regimen which consists of ice baths and sleeping at high altitude. Spanish media recently reported that the 30-year-old striker has converted his bedroom into a hypoxic chamber which simulates high-altitude conditions. The practice reputedly increases the number of oxygen-rich red blood cells in the body. Benefits include an increase in endurance and reduction of fatigue. Somebody in L.A. should alert Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas and have the team install one in Clint Mathis’ new digs. If ever there was a prime candidate for a U.S. player who could still produce if he ever got his physique back to something resembling a professional soccer player, it would be Mathis.