Raúl de Tomás has found his particular nirvana in Cornellà-El Prat. As evidenced by the celebration of his goal against Cadiz, sitting on the grass imitating a meditation posture, the Espanyol stadium has become a temple of freedom and inner peace for the striker. After a few years forced to pack his bags looking for his place, De Tomás has finally found the desired stability at Espanyol.
“I meditate in my daily life, because the mental aspect is as important as the physical. I recommend doing it “, he explained at the end of the match. Neither the three missed penalties this year nor the subsequent three goals disallowed by the VAR have affected the concentration of a striker born to score. Meditation helps you, in the middle of the game, to control negative emotions and forget about adverse circumstances. Quickly clean your head and try again harder. With Espanyol he already has 31 goals (0.5 per game), seven less than the 38 he signed for Rayo Vallecano (0.57). In Vallecas, where he has played the longest so far, he played 66 games, only five more than the 61 he has accumulated as a white-and-blue.
It is a matter of time, weeks or months to stretch that exceeds these two records with Espanyol. “I will be at Espanyol until I die,” he admitted in an interview with As. His commitment to the parakeet club, with whom he has a contract until June 2026 (then he will be 30 years old) is beyond doubt, a fact especially appreciated by a fan historically accustomed to losing their idols (especially when it comes to strikers ).
RDT has become a leader on and off the pitch for Espanyol. He doesn’t need to wear the bracelet for the four captains of the squad to agree with him on some dressing room decisions. Based on goals, high-level technical details and an imposing personality, he has earned the recognition he has within a club that feels calmer with his presence. The Madrid striker has reaffirmed himself at Espanyol as a can opener specialist: he has opened the scoring on 16 occasions. That is, more than half of his goals have served to undo the initial 0-0, a differentiating factor.
S’acosta to Sergio García
With the goal scored in Cádiz, the day after its twenty-seventh anniversary, RDT was, with 18 goals, just eight of the top scorer in Cornellà-El Prat, Sergio García. The Bon Pastor striker scored 26 goals in the current white-and-blue field (22 in League and 4 in Cup). He is followed by Gerard Moreno, with 24 (22 in League and 2 in Cup) and Cristhian Stuani, with 22 (18 with Espanyol and four distributed between Levante, Racing and Girona). The Madrid striker, therefore, is just four goals away from this particular podium. He has already beaten two strikers who left a big mark on the current white-and-blue feud: Osvaldo (16 goals) and Borja Iglesias (14).
“I like the ability or the possibility that he has to do better what he has done. He can give more, we are there to press him to give the performance he can offer “, commented Vicente Moreno after Monday’s victory. RDT is aware that this is the way to fulfill one of the dreams he does not hide that he would like to fulfill: to make his debut with the Spanish national team. He could do it in November, if Luis Enrique deems it appropriate. The Madrid man wants to follow in the footsteps of a Gerard Moreno who had to leave Espanyol to earn a place as an international. The perpetual, by the way, scored 36 goals as a white-and-blue, a record that RDT could soon surpass.
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