Raul Gonzalez (in white) fights for the ball with Real Union Club's Gurrutxaga during their Spanish King's Cup soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid Nov. 11, 2008. [File photo: Xinhua/Reuters]

Speaking before he makes his 500th Primera Liga appearance for Real Madrid, club captain Raul Gonzalez said on Saturday that he has lost none of his ambition.

Raul will lead on Sunday his side onto the pitch at Mallorca's Ono Stadium. It will be the 500th time he has worn a Real Madrid shirt in the Primera Liga.

The day has arrived over 14 years since he made his debut.

Raul first represented Real Madrid on October 29, 1994 in Zaragoza, although speaking to sports paper DiarioAS, he admitted that the memory was not as fresh as it could be.

"It would be a lie if I said that I still have my debut fresh in my mind, but I won't forget my first goal, which was in the Santiago Bernabeu in a derby and above all the six titles I have won," Raul said.

"I started playing when I was 17 and that helped me reach this number of games so soon. It is the time to thank all of the coaches I have worked with in these 14 years and who have always shown confidence in me."

"They have helped me grow as a player and also as a person," he added.

As well as 499 league appearances for Real Madrid, for whom he has also won three Champions Leagues, Raul has played 102 times for Spain and is his countries maximum all time goalscorer with 44 goals.

However, at 31 years old, he insists he has not lost any ambition.

"I have been giving everything for this club for 14 years and I have enough desire to keep on for a good while," said Raul.

"To be able to spend all of your life in a club like Real Madrid is the best thing a footballer can hope for."

"If they had told me that all this would happen the day I made my debut, I would not have believed them," he concluded.