Real Madrid veteran Raul is not planning to retire at the end of the season although he has hinted he could leave the Spanish giants.

Raul, who has been at Madrid since joining their youth team in 1992, signed a life contract in 2008 which sees his deal automatically renewed should he play at least 30 games a season.

The 32-year-old has achieved that this term but, with his influence on the pitch waning following an influx of big-name players last summer, the Madrid captain knows his days at the Bernabeu could be numbered.

"I'm not going to retire at the moment," he said. "I hope to see out the next year of my contract. (But) we'll see what happens at the end of the season. I want to continue playing football."

Madrid have narrowed the gap on champions Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division standings to just one point, with five games remaining.

And Raul has urged his team-mates not to give up now the title is within their sights.

"The team are confident," he added. "I believe we are going to win the league, but what we are certainly going to do is fight to the max to achieve it. We are aware that at the moment we are not depending on ourselves in order to be champions. But it is clear that if we win the remaining five games we will have more options."