The Pride of Vallekas

"2006: The curse of Fuenlabrada" is perhaps a more apt title. That summer, when a player changed clubs from Fuenlabrada to Rayo Vallecano, injuries followed him there too... In June 2010, Rayo Vallecano were asked by a judge to pay Álvaro Zazo for breach of contract. After being removed from the team the previous summer, Zazo denounced the club. He was training with Córdoba at the time. The player, who sued for 600,000 euros, received two-thirds of the amount. But now, Zazo is just as well known for being unemployed for long periods of time - on 15th March 2015, after nearly eight months without a club, he signed for Real Avilés in the Segunda B. And on 11th January 2017, following almost two years of inactivity, Zazo joined UD San Sebastián de los Reyes in the Segunda B as well. "Trotamundos del fútbol de Segunda División B", they called him. Born in Madrid, Zazo played in Real Madrid's cadete and juvenil teams, and finished his formation with lo...

Every time he was destined to fail, he did not. Every time he had to take a step back, he was back where he began... Guardiola was a product of Lorca Deportiva CF's youth system, and made his debuts as a senior in the 2009-10 season, in the Tercera. In the summer of 2010, he signed with Segunda B club Jumilla. It was his first Segunda B season - and it ended with relegation, with Guardiola playing less than 1200 minutes. It looked as if Sergi Guardiola would be consigned to the Tercera - and his February 2012 move to CF La Nucía in the same tier was a clear indication of that. But miraculously, in August of the same year he was given his second shot in the Segunda B with Ontinyent. But once again, he barely got game time - playing just 1059 minutes - and moved to fellow league team Getafe B in January 2013. Once again, he was back in the Tercera. And once again, he bounced back - scoring nine goals with Novelda in the 2013-14 season and earning a move to Segunda B side Eldens...