The Pride of Vallekas

When I sent Elizabeth the questions via email, she responded: "Good grief. Are you doing a PhD in Rayo fans?" Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new subtitle of the Rayo aficionado project. She is @LizzieCarrEllis on Twitter - give her a follow! A bit about yourself and your background I’m a journalist living and working in south-east England, but I’m originally from Newcastle. I lived eight years in Scotland, where I supported Hibs (Hibernian), and then eight years in Madrid. How long have you been a fan of Rayo and what made you support them in the first place? I thought I’d be an Atléti fan at first but they never grabbed me. My husband was reading up about Rayo and we both really liked the ethos: anti-fascista, etc. and the strong sense of community. Plus the tickets were affordable - and you could get them - and one day we just really wanted to see a live football game so we went, we won and that was it. Describe your first visit ever to Vallecas and the sta...

Juan Sánchez is a lifelong Rayo fan...and is @MitaADRV24 on Twitter, give him a follow! A bit about yourself and your background I am a rayista through and through, I have tattooed the shield of Rayo on my skin, am very eager to see Rayo at all times...if you ever have the chance to travel to Spain and Madrid, I invite you to go and see a match in Vallecas. It is incredible, you will really like it! I am a subscriber of the club and I love it. How long have you been a fan of Rayo and what made you support them in the first place? I supported the club since I was 5, since Rayo was in the Segunda B (similar to the English 3rd division), my father took me from a very young age, and I loved to go and enjoy the team play. Describe your first visit ever to Vallecas and the stadium? How would you describe the fans in the stadium, and how intimidating is the stadium for opposition fans and players? It was great! As I said, it was when I was very small and I saw so much madness for...

I spent hours coming up with a name. I didn't want it to be the same. I wanted something that rhymes with Rayo. So welcome to my new project, the Rayo aficionado . Obviously, this project is about interviewing Rayo fans. And obviously, this project is about bringing Rayo fans from around the world together. But there is much more. Much, much more. This project is about building this profile of the Rayo fan, capturing local and international similarities and differences in thought. Not every Rayo fan is the same. Sure, most have something similar to say about Presa. Most love la vida pirata - to be fair, it's a spectacular display of passion. Most have only good things to say about Juande Ramos and Trashorras. And most consume Rayo news from similar sources. But many topics divide opinion. Paco Jémez, for instance. Or Léo Baptistão. Or the way Rayo uses its youth teams. Or...you get the idea. So welcome to the Rayo aficionado . I invite you to join me as I ask these...