Raul confident he will rediscover form for Real

Captain Raul says doubts about his future at Real Madrid have been dispelled and he is confident he can rediscover his best form next season.

"The president (Florentino Perez) and the club have given me renewed confidence," the 28-year-old forward said yesterday.

"I've had two very difficult seasons. I demand a lot of myself and the team, and there have been periods when I have suffered a lot.

"But we had a strong finish to last season and everyone is now keen to become part of a new project which will see us win a lot of trophies over the next few years."

Last season was Raul's worst since breaking into the Real Madrid first team a decade ago. He scored just nine goals and was off the pace in all but a handful of games.

He even said in March that he would be prepared to leave the club if they felt he was surplus to requirements. He now says his main priority is to stay and recapture his form.

"The first thing I have to do is to earn my place in the team and prove to the fans and everyone else that there is a lot more left to come from Raul."

Raul hinted that disagreements between the players and the club hierarchy had, in part, been responsible for the team's failure to live up to expectations in the last two seasons.

Real finished second behind Barcelona in 2004/5.

Perez's policy of signing only big name attack-minded players exposed the team in defence and working under four different coaches during the last two seasons was disruptive.

The appointment of Arrigo Sacchi as director of football and Vanderlei Luxemburgo as coach midway through last season led to the return of stability and the creation of a more balanced squad.

"I think we are going to be more united this season, at least that is what we are all working towards. In the last two seasons there have been a lot of things that haven't helped us," Raul said.