Monchengladbach extend contract with Raffael

German top division football club Borussia Monchengladbach and striker Raffael have agreed on a contract extension.

The 31-year-old striker, whose old contract was stipulated until June 2018, penned a one-year contract extension ahead of schedule to stay with the club until summer 2019, reports Xinhua.

"We are happy that we have managed to extend the contract with Raffael. We wanted him to stay as Raffael has done outstanding things here in recent years, which aroused desires by many other clubs," Monchengladbach's sporting director Max Eberl said.

Raffael Caetano de Araujo, known as Raffael, joined Monchengladbach in 2013 to score 39 goals and provide 20 assists in 96 Bundesliga appearances.

The striker scored 64 goals in 222 Bundesliga outings overall, as he played for Hertha Berlin for four years and five months on loan at Schalke.

"My family and I felt very comfortable here. Why should I switch then? My decision to remain with Monchengladbach came from the heart. In addition, the club has fought to keep me. This is perhaps my last contract but maybe not. I will, in any case, continue to play a few years," Raffael said.

Borussia Monchengladbach completed the Bundesliga season 2015-2016 in the fourth place in the Bundesliga standings to ensure a UEFA Champions League play-off spot.

--IANS

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