The Pride of Vallekas

Not so long ago, Spanish politics was a two-party system. The conservative center-right People's Party (Partido Popular or PP) and the center-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE). There are regional parties that also play an important role, but let's just focus on the first two. After the 15-M movement (15th May, 2011), which was an anti-austerity movement which shook Spain to its very core, two more parties came to prominence. One was a left-wing, anti-austerity, populist party called Podemos led by Pablo Iglesias, a professor; the other was a centrist party called Citizens (Ciudadanos), a Catalan party that opposes Catalan nationalism and is led by Albert Rivera. The December 2015 national elections ended the two-party system - PP, PSOE, Podemos and C's got 123, 90, 69 and 40 seats respectively, and with 176 seats needed to form a government predictably nothing happened. A June 2016 election did little to resolve the...

In the heart of Puente de Vallecas, sporting, institutional and political turmoil have wrecked the institutions of a club that didn't deserve it. Rayo Vallecano, freshly relegated from La Liga, has had three different managers and was just outside the relegation zone with a squad that looks largely unchanged from last season. A signing's (Roman Zozulya) right-wing political views caused the left-wing fan base to protest, and caused Javier Tebas to criminalize fans who were then defended by left-wing political parties such as Podemos and Izquierda Unida. It led to the player returning to Real Betis, and not being able to play anywhere else for the rest of the season, and FIFA making a historic exception by allowing the player to play for four clubs in a single season. And then a Podemos-led coalition called Ahora Madrid tried declaring Javier Tebas persona non grata in Puente de Vallecas for not respecting freedom of speech via a motion in the regional council, a motion that...

Even before Rayo signed him, Spanish newspapers such as the  Atlántico Diario and Vavel  were singing his praises while he was at Coruxo. Santi Comesaña, signed by Coruxo in 2015 from ED Val Miñor, went on to score on his debut against Atlético Astorga FC, and even score a hat trick against Compostela. Eight goals and 37 games earned him a move to Rayo. ED Val Miñor is one of many "schools"  that belongs to the municipality of Nigrán - on the outskirts of Vigo. Players like Thiago Alcántara, Rafinha Alcántara, Rodrigo Moreno and Pedro Vázquez have have come from the good work of these schools. Being from Galicia, the comparisons to a younger Trashorras were inevitable. Moreover, Santi, too, is 6 feet tall, and at Coruxo played in attacking midfield, in center midfield and on the left. He, too, has an eye for goal. He, too, keeps the ball at his feet rather than give it away. It was almost fitting that both would step up in one of the toughest games of ...