New Schalke striker Raul cannot wait to make his Bundesliga debut after joining the Royal Blues on a two-year deal from Real Madrid.
The Spanish striker ended 16 years with Real Madrid to start a new chapter in his career in Germany and he admitted that, while leaving Madrid was never going to be easy, Schalke became his only real option when he heard of their interest.
"An era in Madrid is over and my new life with Schalke begins now," he said in Gelsenkirchen.
"I thank Schalke and Felix Magath for the faith they have shown in me. Of course I now want to pay this faith back.
"My aim is clear: to celebrate huge successes with this club and these fantastic fans.
"I felt from the very beginning that Schalke really wanted me and that impressed me.
"I did have other offers, but in the end, it was an easy decision. Now I am looking forward to getting to know a new country together with my family.
"My first impression of Germany and above all the people at Schalke is very positive."
Raul is understood to have rejected offers from the Premier League to join the Royal Blues while he even turned down new Real coach Jose Mourinho, who tried to convince him to stay.
"We did have a chat, but at that stage, my decision had been made to start a new challenge with Schalke," he explained.
"For me, Germany has one of the best leagues in the world. The Bundesliga is absolutely competitive in Europe, which has been seen in the European cup competitions recently.
"Furthermore, the stadia are always full and the atmosphere is always fantastic."
Schalke manager Magath thanked Christoph Metzelder for assisting the transfer following his arrival from Real.
"Christoph made the first contact and enabled us to approach Raul," he revealed.
"Without him, Raul would probably not be here."
Raul's arrival fills the void left by the departure of Kevin Kuranyi to Dynamo Moscow this summer, yet Magath is still on the lookout for a new strike partner for the 33-year-old.
"Raul needs the right assistant for his game," said Magath.
"I can only reveal that a new striker is right at the top of our wishlist."
Raul took part in his first training session on Wednesday afternoon with over 5,000 fans turning up at the club's training ground once the word had spread that the Spaniard was in town.
He may make his debut this weekend when Schalke face Bundesliga rivals Hamburg in their first major test in pre-season on Saturday.
