Spain legend Raul Gonzalez says he will not be pressured into returning to Real Madrid as a coach and is focusing on the challenge of promoting La Liga clubs in the United States.
Raul came through the ranks at the Bernabeu and scored 323 goals in 741 games in 16 seasons as a Madrid player, a record recently beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo, who Raul described as "a great person."
In 2010, he left for Schalke amid a reported breakdown in his relationship with club president Florentino Perez, and then spent two years at Qatari club Al-Sadd before helping the New York Cosmos win the 2015 Soccer Bowl during a final playing season in the NASL.
He said he needed time to plan his next move, and in an interview in Vanity Fair said he would return to Madrid -- but only in a few years.
"Everyone says it, they want to push me," he said of the idea of coaching.
"I need my time. My life has been so clear-cut, and now I have to think about whether I miss competing.
"I have a project here for my personal development. I am going to learn about everything that surrounds football, sports management, business.
"This is a time to do things without being under any pressure so that I can decide whether or not I like it and then, in a few years, return to Madrid."
Raul said he and his wife Mamen Sanz were training for the New York City Marathon, among other projects, while they enjoy life in Manhattan.
The Madrid native has long been linked with a return to the Bernabeu, either as a coach or even as part of a candidacy to challenge Florentino Perez for the club's presidency.
But he said he was happy to accept the offer from La Liga president Javier Tebas to work as a Country Manager in the United States -- a promotional job that involves helping to keep La Liga's international revenues growing.
EXCLUSIVA: Raúl y Mamen posan por primera vez (y hablan... de todo) https://t.co/fw4HEqAXWL pic.twitter.com/urfJmGDA4O
- Vanity Fair España (@VanityFairSpain) January 18, 2016
To that end, Raul said he was happy to see Barcelona win titles in Europe -- because he sees the wins as victories for Spanish football.
"The rivalry [with real Madrid] helps both clubs," he added. "Barca would not be who they are without Madrid and vice-versa. They need each other.
"When they win titles in Europe I am happy for them because we have a club from Spain in the final and I have no reservations about saying that publicly. Why would I wish someone else ill? That is not how I am."
He praised former Bernabeu coach Jose Mourinho, saying he "did an extraordinary job at Real Madrid" and called former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola "one of the best coaches in history."