Spanish international Raul Gonzales Blanco signed a two-year contract with German Bundesliga club Schalke, the club said on Wednesday.

The former Real Madrid striker Raul said goodbye to his fans at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on Monday.

After sixteen years at Real Madrid, Raul scored 323 goals in 741 official matches to leave Madrid on a free transfer to Schalke. In addition, he won sixteen titles including three times UEFA Champions League title plus six times the Spanish championship.

"That's is great news for Schalke. I'm glad that we have signed such an exceptional player and world class striker for Schalke and the German Bundesliga," head coach Felix Magath said after the signing.

Raul joined the Spanish national team in 1996 where he scored 44 goals in 102 matches. However, after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the national head coaches did not consider him.

Raul is the top scorer in the history of Real Madird, and he leads the UEFA Champions League scorer list with 50 goals.

After his two years at Schalke, Raul will return to Real Madrid as an official.