Now he is closing in on Spain's most prolific goalscorers in the national team's history - his captain Fernando Hierro (on 27 goals) and Emilio 'The Vulture' Butragueno on 26.

BBC: Raul waits to shine

The death of long-serving official Jose Carlos Perez Fernandez in February was a blow to the club, and in May highly-regarded former Spain captain Fernando Hierro left his role as Malaga's sporting director.

CNN: Malaga's malady: When foreign ownership goes wrong

"Football players are not very creative, " says Mr. Torres, who first began working with athletes after a chance run-in a decade ago with former Real Madrid star Fernando Hierro at a Madrid clothing store.

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