Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈraʝoβaʎeˈkanoðemaˈðɾið]),[a] often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded on 29 May 1924, the club is known for its sociocultural tradition, recognized for representing the barrio-local culture and its working-class status. Its home matches have been played at the 14,708-capacity Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas stadium since 1976.[2]
During its history, Rayo has spent 22 seasons in the top-flight, and has played in one European competition, the UEFA Cup in the 2000–01 season. The club won the 2017–18 Segunda División. By historical performance, Rayo is the third best club in Community of Madrid, after Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
History
Establishment and early years
Rayo Vallecano was founded on 29 May 1924 in the hometown of Prudencia Priego, wife of the club's first president Julián Huerta. Greatly inspired by River Plate (a Football club from Argentina), in 1949, after an agreement with Atlético Madrid, a red diagonal stripe was added to the team's kit, and the club reached Tercera División for the first time in its history.[3]
Yo-yo years
One of the perennial yo-yo clubs of Spanish football, and always in the shadow of the two biggest clubs in the city (Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid), Rayo Vallecano spent many years during the 1980s and 1990s moving back and forth between La Liga and Segunda División. The 1983–84 season was the worst during the 1980s. The club finished in the last position in Segunda División and was relegated to Segunda División B.[4]
Due to a tragedy Rayo Vallecano turned out to be Laurie Cunningham's last club; he was killed in a car crash just outside Madrid in 1989, after a sole season. He had recently won an F.A. Cup winners medal with Wimbledon F.C. in England the previous year and had also represented neighbours Real Madrid for four years.
However, the club shortly thereafter fell on hard times, enduring successive relegations in 2003 and 2004. For 2005–06 manager Míchel, a Real Madrid legend in the 1980s and '90s, was hired.[7]
In its first seasons back in the second tier of Spanish football, Rayo finished comfortably, often either in or just outside the promotion places. In 2010–11, the team ranked in second position and returned to the top flight after an eight-year absence, only trailing champions Real Betis in spite of very serious economic problems.[10][11][12]
2011–: La Liga and Segunda División yo-yo
Diego Costa with Rayo Vallecano in 2012Chart of Rayo Vallecano league performance 1929–present
In March 2014, Huawei agreed to sponsor Rayo Vallecano for two league matches against Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.[13]
In August 2015, Rayo Vallecano purchased the majority of Oklahoma City FC, a NASL expansion franchise which had yet to officially play a game renaming the club to Rayo OKC, despite the stadium increasingly needing work. It was the first ever entry of a Spanish club into the American sports market and mirrored a 2013 sponsorship agreement with Qbao in terms of expanding the club's profile overseas.[14][15] Rayo OKC folded after a year due to Rayo Vallecano's relegation from La Liga and a dispute between the co-owners led to less finance for the U.S. side.
In May 2016, Rayo Vallecano were relegated to the Segunda División, finishing 18th in the 2015–16 La Liga season. This ended their five-year streak in La Liga, their longest ever stay in the top-flight.[16] Their first season back in the second division was a poor one, with both problems on the field and off, and they finished in 12th position. Rayo went through three managers in the 2016–17 Segunda División season before finally settling on club legend Míchel.[17] He revived the club from the relegation places to 12th, almost making the playoffs.
At the start of the 2017–18 Segunda División season, the club appointed their recently retired goalkeeper David Cobeño as the sporting director of the club.[18] They secured their promotion with a 1–0 over CD Lugo with one game remaining.[19] That season the club won Segunda División with 76 points in 42 games.[20]
Rayo players during an away La Liga fixture versus Real Valladolid in January 2019
On 20 March 2019, the club appointed Paco Jémez as head coach,[21] and on 4 May, Rayo was relegated back to the Segunda División after losing 4–1 to Levante UD, eventually finishing last.[22][23]
In August 2020, the club appointed Andoni Iraola as head coach.[24] They finished sixth and won promotion in the playoffs against Girona FC; despite losing the first leg at home 1–2, the team came back to win the second leg 2–0 away to claim a place in La Liga for 2021–22.[25] In February 2022, Iraola's side defeated RCD Mallorca to make the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey; it was the second time in club history and first since 1982.[26] The club finished 12th in La Liga. This was a big achievement as they were by far the league's smallest team, and most had predicted that they would be relegated.[27] They once again qualified for European football after 24 years, entering into the UEFA Conference League play-offs by finishing 8th in 2024-25 season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas is a football stadium located on Calle Payaso Fofó 1, Vallecas. Opened on 10 May 1976, at first it was called "New Stadium Vallecas", but in January 2004, 13 years after the arrival of the Ruiz-Mateos family in 1991, it changed denominations, as the wife was also named by her husband, businessman José María, the first woman president of an elite football team.
It has a capacity of 14,708 spectators in an all-seated format and dimensions of 100×67 m. after the enlargement of the width and the reduction of the length of the pitch after the remodelling of the grandstands, compulsory due to the elimination of the fences surrounding the pitch. The pitch is one the smallest in La Liga. Additionally, one of the goal ends does not have a grandstand, just a big wall with information panels.[29]
In June 2009, the club announced plans for the construction of a new stadium. Nevertheless, the Autonomous Community of Madrid, owner of the stadium, has not any plan as far as it is known in 2023.
Club culture and supporters
The fans do not have a good relationship with the current owner Raúl Martín Presa and regularly chant for him to leave.[30][31]
In late March 2012, in support of the 2011–12 Spanish protests, the squad decided to take one day off from training to join the demonstrations.[32] In 2014, 85-year-old Vallecas resident Carmen Martínez Ayuso was evicted from her house after living there since the 1960s. Rayo Vallecano and particularly coach Paco Jémez were touched by her story, and subsequently offered to fund Martínez for the foreseeable future.[33]
In February 2017, Ukrainian player Roman Zozulya left the club after one training session due to chants of "Nazi" by Rayo fans accusing him of belonging to far-right groups; Zozulya denied ever belonging to any far-right groups, and immediately returned to his parent club Real Betis. In 2019, when Zozulya was playing for Albacete, a match was called off at half-time after fans once again sang "Zozulya you are a Nazi".[34]
Anthems and songs
Although most people recognise the supporting songs by ska-punk band Ska-P (Rayo Vallecano and Como un rayo), Rayo Vallecano has an official anthem which played at their home stadium before matches.
The club is also known for chanting the song "La Vida Pirata" (English: "The Pirate Life"), a song about pirates, which the Bukaneros are named after.
Spanish:
La vida pirata es la vida mejor (bis)
sin trabajar (bis)
Sin estudiar (bis)
Con la botella de ron (bis)
Soy capitán (bis)
del Santa Inés (bis)
Y en cada puerto tengo una mujer (bis)
La rubia es (bis)
Fenomenal (bis)
Y la morena tampoco esta mal (bis)
Las inglesas con su seriedad (bis)
Y las francesas que todo lo dan (bis)
Si alguna vez (bis)
Me he de casar (bis)
Me he de casar (bis)
Con la del Rayo, una, una y nada más (bis).
English:
''The pirate life is the best life (bis)
without working (bis)
without studying (bis)
With the bottle of rum (bis)
I am captain (bis)
of the "Santa Inés"' (bis)
and in each port, I have a woman (bis)
the blonde is (bis)
phenomenal (bis)
and the brunette is not bad either (bis)
The English women with their seriousness (bis)
And the French women who give everything (bis)
If ever (bis)
I have to marry (bis)
I have to marry (bis)
with the one of Rayo, one, one and no more (bis)''
Notes
↑ In isolation, Vallecano is pronounced [baʎeˈkano].
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