Raúl de Tomás, a name familiar to many football fans, has finally found his peace. The forward, known for his time at Benfica, is now with Al Wakrah. He shared his journey in a raw, honest interview with ‘AS’ newspaper. De Tomás opened up about the toughest stretch of his career, a period he links directly to his former Espanyol coach, Diego Martínez. It was a time that almost pushed him out of the game for good.
De Tomás didn’t hold back. He claimed Martínez arrived at Espanyol with one goal: to “screw me over,” as the player put it. This period hit him hard. He was flying high, even playing for the national team. Yet, the coach, according to de Tomás, used his tactics to “sink me.” He felt Martínez just didn’t want him there, even when de Tomás believed he was the team’s top player.
The criticisms kept coming. De Tomás labeled Martínez a “cowardly coach.” He said Martínez preferred players who didn’t challenge him, those without strong personalities. In de Tomás’s view, the coach simply “doesn’t know how to deal with experienced players.” It sounds like a clash of strong wills, with one side feeling completely misunderstood.
Their relationship spiraled downwards. De Tomás eventually left for Rayo Vallecano, where he spent six long months on the sidelines. He felt Martínez was trying to provoke him into a bad reaction. The coach, de Tomás thought, wanted an excuse to get rid of him. But de Tomás held firm, saying he kept the respect his family taught him. It was a tough battle of wills behind the scenes.
One moment in Marbella stuck with de Tomás. Martínez supposedly asked him if he would train. When de Tomás said yes, the coach threw his cap. De Tomás saw it as a deliberate act. He felt Martínez knew he had a strong character and wanted him to “lose my mind.” It paints a picture of constant mind games and tension.
Now, things are different. De Tomás is playing under Vicente Moreno at Al Wakrah. Moreno is the coach with whom de Tomás has always performed best. He finally feels a sense of calm again. Looking back, he sees the difficult times as lessons. “It was hard, but I learned,” he reflected. “These people pass through our lives for a reason.”
Before his challenging period at Espanyol, de Tomás had a brief stint. He played for Benfica for six months during the 2019/20 season. He then made the move to Espanyol, a transfer that cost 22.5 million euros.