Raul Reportedly Informs New York Cosmos He Plans to Retire in November

Spain legend Raul has put New York Cosmos on high alert after informing the club he intends to hang up his boots at the end of the current North American Soccer League campaign next month.

According to P.P. San Martin of Spanish newspaper AS, the 38-year-old has already told the Cosmos hierarchy of his intentions after signalling an inability to keep up with the pace of the first team.

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The reports states that Raul wishes to spend more time with his family in Madrid, but San Martin has insisted there would be "no problem" if the veteran does indeed wish to end his contract early.

Raul joined the Cosmos in October 2014 after agreeing what was dubbed a "multi-year contract" by the club's official website (h/t ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle), but it seems the striker will only play out the first year of that deal.

The ex-Real Madrid ace was a particularly strong force for the Cosmos during the 2015 NASL Spring Championship, where he bagged four of his five goals for the club to date.

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However, his influence has been more restrained in the latter half of the 2015 campaign, although the Cosmos are currently placed atop the combined NASL standings ahead of this year's play-offs.

Signing off with an American title win would be the ideal way for Raul to call time on his career, with the 102-times capped ex-Spain international having recently seen Cristiano Ronaldo match his all-time scoring record at Real.

It seems his era is finally coming to a close, and Los Blancos' incumbent talisman Ronaldo has opened up on the pride he feels to rival such an exalted figure as Raul, per SNTV's official YouTube account:

It's been 21 years since Raul made his Real Madrid debut and five years since he departed the Bernabeu for Schalke, at which point the torch was officially passed to Ronaldo.

Broadcaster Juan Arango has illustrated how Real Madrid's standards have arguably been taken to new heights under Ronaldo's reign, eclipsing even the historic achievements of Raul:

Few players have shown the longevity and desire to play that Raul has in recent years, extending his career in Europe, Asia and North America before making the difficult decision of when to bow out.

The Cosmos will have a hard time finding a replacement who boasts the same unique allure as Raul moving ahead in their development, but they will also have the honour of being the last team to possess his talent.