The Pride of Vallekas

Follow Paul Reidy on Twitter here and on Instagram here . How long have you been a fan of Rayo and what made you support them in the first place? I discovered Rayo on my first ever trip to Madrid in 1993 and was introduced to the club by a friend living in the capital at that time. He mentioned the idiosyncrasy of the club, the neighborhood and the political aspect that surrounds the club. I went to my first game the following season and remember being pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the fans who were somewhat bemused to see a foreign supporter make the journey to Vallekas, as at that point in time the club had close to zero in terms of international profile. On regular trips to Madrid I would also ensure that the weekend flight worked around Rayo home fixtures. I later moved to Madrid in 2003 and one of the first tasks upon arriving in Madrid was securing a Rayo season ticket. My arrival coincided with relegation from the top flight and another subsequent relation to 2B...

Follow Max Bluer on Twitter here . A bit about yourself and your background So I’m a 25 year-old living here in Madrid and working for the Spanish Ministry of Tourism. By night I freelance as a writer on politics and fútbol. How long have you been a fan of Real Zaragoza and what made you support them in the first place? Well Zaragoza was the city I moved to when I first came to Spain in August 2014. My flat was about 10 minutes walk from La Romareda, a real thrill as I’d never before lived within easy reach of a top level stadium. I think this was made me become such an ardent Zaragoza fan, I’d always loved football but growing up in a little town in Wiltshire, UK I’d never really had a local team. Then all of a sudden I found myself next door to a team with all of this amazing history that is as a standard-bearer for the city. How could I not be hooked? Given the transfer windows and the squad that was assembled at the start of the season, is Real Zaragoza where you want it...