The Pride of Vallekas

Given that Adrián Embarba just reached 100 appearances for Rayo, here is his story - some shared on this blog before, some not... Football is cruel. Hype is often wrong. And history forgets quickly. It's easy to forget that Embarba was the least heralded of three signings for Rayo B in 2013. Miki Ruiz was a striker heralded for his pace and strength, his finishing and his shot power. He was from Córdoba, he was ex-FC Barcelona, ex-Real Madrid, ex-Valencia and ex-Hércules, and he had already played for the U-20 Spain team, alongside Jesé Rodríguez and Derik Osede. He, at just 19, had a bright future ahead of him. So did Sergio Parla, ex-Getafe, ex-Real Madrid and ex-Alcobendas. The 21 year old center-back, whose ball-playing skills and pace made him a perfect Rayo defender. His future was bright too - sharing hydrotherapy pools with Ronaldo and, despite a torrid time with Alcobedas, his ability meant regular appearances for the first team. Embarba? Released by Real Madrid,...

It's a great quiz question - which player has played the most consecutive games as a substitute in the Segunda? With 40 games, that record goes to striker Ramón Pereira. 40 games, that even more weirdly, spanned six years and three clubs. This is that story Born in Mérida, Extremadura, Pereira went from hometown club CP Mérida to Atlético Madrid as a youth, and made his professional debut with the latter's reserves on 21 September 1997, in a 1-1 Segunda División away draw against Real Jaén where he came on as an 86th-minute substitute for Luis Tevenet. Used rarely - there in the 1997-98 season and at previous team Mérida the following season - he dropped down to Segunda División B where he played for Écija Balompié and Ponferradina during the 1999-00 season. Rarely used at Écija, he became a part of a historic squad in Ponferrada: on the last day of the season, Ponferradina occupied a position they hadn't occupied the entire season - higher than 16th. Yes, Ponfer...

A couple of days ago, I wrote about CD Móstoles URJC, and how Rayo B coach Juanvi Peinado will be coaching them next season (read it here ). I dug deeper, and found some stories that were worth sharing. This is part 2. CD Móstoles URJC came fourth in the Tercera this season, qualifying for the promotion playoffs. Their top scorer, and the third top scorer in the league, was Gerardo Berodia, with 17 goals. He is another player who made their debut in professional football late in his career - at the age of 31. Born in Madrid, Berodia joined Real Madrid in 1991 at age 10. He left seven years later and, until the age of 31, competed solely in lower league and amateur football, representing El Álamo, Santa Ana, Alcalá, Pinto, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Navalcarnero, Leganés, Zamora, Ponferradina, Conquense and Lugo. He helped Lugo in the 2011–12 season to promotion to the Segunda, scoring seven goals. However, 33 professional minutes of game time spanning four games led ...

Juan Vicente Peinado, the Rayo B coach, announced that he would not continue with the club. Hours later, fellow Madrid and Tercera club CD Móstoles URJC announced him as their new head coach. This season, Rayo B were three points away. Three points away from the relegation zone. Three points away from demotion to the fifth tier - the regional leagues - which they haven't played in since the 1987-88 season. Three points away from playing the B teams of some fourth tier clubs - the clubs Rayo B was playing this season. At one point, it wasn't even a contest. There was a time when Rayo were releasing "inspirational" videos for their B team. Even on the final day, Rayo B were far from safe. 18th place Alcobendas were on 44 points, 17th place Trival Valderas were on 46 points, joint with 16th place and Rayo B. Thankfully, Rayo B's dismal 1-1 draw against Atlético Pinto didn't matter - Atlético Madrid's B team easily saw off Alcobendas 3-0. And b...