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Former Real Madrid, Schalke and Spain striker Raul has signed a deal to play for US side

The 37-year-old will join the club on a "multi-year" contract at the start of the 2015 season in April and will be technical adviser to the youth academy.

New York Cosmos play in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the division below Major League Soccer.

It reformed in 2013 after the original club, which featured Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, folded in 1985.

Raul, the all-time Champions League record goalscorer with 71, after two years in Qatar.

"Everyone throughout the soccer world knows the Cosmos name and the legacy of the players that played for this team previously," he said.

"They helped establish soccer in America and I'm honoured to follow in their footsteps.

"I believe in this club's vision and I'm excited to be a part of it."

Raul won six La Liga titles, four Spanish Super Cups, and three Uefa Champions League titles with Real Madrid in his 16 years at the Bernabeu.

Raul scored 323 goals in 741 matches for Real Madrid, and a record 71 goals in the Champions League.

He spent after leaving Real Madrid in 2010, a further two years at Qatari side Al Sadd before announcing his retirement in March.