Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that captain Raul Gonzalez will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

Real Madrid's captain Raul Gonzalez attends a news conference before a training session at Anfield in Liverpool March 9, 2009. Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that captain Raul Gonzalez will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

Raul, who had gone into Saturday's match against Zaragoza as a first half replacement for Rafael Van der Vaart, was forced out of the game a minute after opening the scoring on 50 minutes. The Real Madrid captain twisted his right ankle and tests carried out on Monday have confirmed ligament damage that will stop him playing for at least a month.

With the Spanish season finishing on May 16, that means he will play no further part in his side's battle to win the La Liga title.

There are rumors that Raul could abandon this club over the summer and if they turn out to be true, he will have made his last appearance for the club after a total of 816 games in all competitions.

Incidentally his injury happened in Zaragoza's La Romareda Stadium, where he made his debut as a 17-year-old on Oct 29, 1994.

Real Madrid also confirmed that Van der Vaart will also struggle to play again in the current campaign. Van der Vaart has torn a muscle in his left hamstring and his estimated recovery time is a minimum of three weeks.