The Pride of Vallekas

A few months ago, Rayo fans woke up to this: CONVOCATORIA| 📋 Lista de 1️⃣9️⃣ jugadores para el debut mañana en la #CopaDelRey 🏆 #NumanciaMálaga ⚽️ #VamosMálaga 💙 👉 https://t.co/hlScwtJkhY pic.twitter.com/qFGrdvOnrQ — Málaga CF (@MalagaCF) October 23, 2017 That was a bittersweet moment - pride for a Rayista who was going to succeed at Málaga, but bitterness at the club for letting him go for free and not tying him down early enough. Midfielder Pablo Clavería slipped through the cracks. He wasn't renewed, and got tired of waiting - a depressingly normal situation for a smaller, cash-strapped club. This is the story of another player who slipped through. Like Pablo, he has a powerful shot on him. Unlike Pablo, it's key to his job. The striker made his name in his hometown of Madrid in the Tercera, after rising through the ranks of Galáctico Pegaso. He would play for the reserves in 2007, before playing for the senior team during the 2008-09 campaign. During the ...

Before I start I must talk about today's piece. It's a random collection of thoughts and stories that I tried desperately to piece together into a story about how forgotten Vallecas is. The end result? A random collection of thoughts and stories. So apologies if you were looking for a coherent story - all I have to offer is a collage... It lies in Vallecas. On the Av. del Ensanche de Vallecas, to be exact. It's a club whose president's middle name is Martín. No titles to its name. In the shadow of Real Madrid. No, not Rayo. Or Rayo B. Stand on the Av. del Ensanche de Vallecas and look right - you see the Ciudad Deportiva Rayo Vallecano, shared by Rayo B and Rayo Vallecano Femenino. Look left, and you see the Estadio Nuestra Señora de la Torre. Home of Vallecas CF, a club whose president is Manuel Martín Piedra. In the 2008-09 season, as Rayo emerged from the Segunda B and shocked the second division by coming fifth, Vallecas CF emerged from the fifth t...

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 ...