Rayo Vallecano

The club, with the full name Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, has nicknames such as Los Vallecanos or Los Franjirrojos (the red sash). Indeed, it looks as if the club's players wear red sashes, represented by the diagonal red stripe on the otherwise white home jersey. The club plays its home games at the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, a stadium with a capacity of 14,505.

Fans and rivalry

There is a strong fan base around the club. The club's distinctive anthem, called Rayo Vallecano, is by the anti-fascist ska band Ska-P and is always played at home games. This band dedicated two of their songs to the club, the other being Como un Rayo. There is also a group of radical fans, The Bukaneros, who form from the left of the political spectrum. In particular, they show their opposition to the commercialisation of football.

Rayo Vallecano's main rivals are Getafe. This is a local derby between a pair of clubs in the south of Madrid. This is also why these matches are called the South City derby. The last time Rayo Vallecano returned to La Liga, they played a derby with Getafe here again, suffering a 1-2 defeat.

The club's origins and history in Spanish football

Vallecas was originally a separate city, but is now a district that is part of Madrid. The club was founded here in 1924. It is a club whose performances have always been a see-saw affair, always overshadowing the city's main clubs Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. For most of the years in the 80s and 90s, it bounced between La Liga and the second highest competition. His results in La Liga then were mostly second half of the table finishes.

His longest continuous spell in La Liga was between the 2012/12 and 2015/16 seasons, which is also his best finish to date. It is the 8th place in the 2012/13 season. He last appeared in the top competition in the 2018/19 season and finished in last place, so he was immediately relegated again to the Segunda División.