Raúl vs Lilian Thuram: Stats Compared
Striker, Spain (born 1977, retired 2015) · Centre-Back / Right-Back, France (born 1972, retired 2008)
Raúl versus Lilian Thuram is a clash of two unmistakable footballing identities. Long after the final whistle, what lingers is influence, and each man reshaped his corner of the game. Raúl finishes with 432 career goals from 1032 games — a 0.42 strike rate — against Lilian Thuram's 14 from 681 at 0.02 per match. Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. The honours ledger favours Raúl with 16 major trophies (3× UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000, 2002)) against Lilian Thuram's 8 (1× FIFA World Cup (1998)). History will file Raúl under ruthless greatness and Lilian Thuram under resolute greatness — different shelves, same temple. Club journeys add another layer, with Raúl reaching his representative peak around 2002 across Real Madrid, Schalke 04, Al Sadd, New York Cosmos and Lilian Thuram doing so around 1998 with Monaco, Parma, Juventus, Barcelona. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
167 words · comparison angle: legacy
Player profiles
Real Madrid legend who captained the club to three Champions League titles; held the all-time Champions League goals record before Messi and Ronaldo surpassed him.
“An intelligent, tireless forward whose movement off the ball created chances for himself and others.”
French defender who played a record 142 times for France; scorer of two goals in the 1998 World Cup semifinal.
“A robust, intelligent defender equally adept at right-back and centre-back, with surprising scoring instincts in big games.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 3× UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000, 2002)
- 6× La Liga
- 4× Supercopa de España
- 2× Intercontinental Cup (1998, 2002)
- 1× UEFA Super Cup (2002)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1998)
- 1× UEFA European Championship (2000)
- 1× FIFA Confederations Cup (2003)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1999)
- 2× Serie A (2002, 2003)
- 2× Supercoppa Italiana (2002, 2003)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1994 Real Madrid debut aged 17
- 1996 Won La Liga with Real Madrid
- 1998 Champions League winner at 20
- 2000 Champions League winner, top scorer in the tournament
- 2003 Became Real Madrid captain
- 2010 Left Real Madrid after 16 years at the club
- 2015 Retired at New York Cosmos
- 1991 Monaco debut
- 1996 Joined Parma
- 1998 World Cup winner, scored twice in the semi-final against Croatia
- 2000 Euro winner with France
- 2001 Joined Juventus for a world-record defender fee
- 2006 Signed for Barcelona
- 2008 Retired after Euro 2008
The verdict
The numbers give Raúl the lead — a clear margin, courtesy of a sharper goalscoring record.
Raúl edges it (a clear margin)
