Los Franjirrojos (The Red Sashes) Rayito (Little Thunderbolt) Orgullo de la clase obrera (The Pride of the Working class) El Matagigantes (The Giant-killer)
Founded
29 May 1924; 101 years ago (1924-05-29) asAgrupación Deportiva El Rayo
Founded on 29 May 1924, the club is known for its sociocultural tradition, recognized for representing thebarrio-local culture and itsworking-class status. Its home matches have been played at the 14,708-capacityCampo de Fútbol de Vallecas stadium since 1976.[2]
Rayo Vallecano was founded on 29 May 1924 in the hometown of Prudencia Priego, wife of the club's first president Julián Huerta. Greatly inspired byRiver Plate (a Football club fromArgentina), in 1949, after an agreement withAtlético Madrid, a red diagonal stripe was added to the team's kit, and the club reachedTercera División for the first time in its history.[3]
One of the perennial yo-yo clubs of Spanish football, and always in the shadow of the two biggest clubs in the city (Real Madrid andAtlético Madrid), Rayo Vallecano spent many years during the 1980s and 1990s moving back and forth betweenLa Liga andSegunda División. The 1983–84 season was the worst during the 1980s. The club finished in the last position in Segunda División and was relegated to Segunda División B.[4]
Due to a tragedy Rayo Vallecano turned out to beLaurie Cunningham's last club; he was killed in a car crash just outside Madrid in 1989, after a sole season. He had recently won anF.A. Cup winners medal withWimbledon F.C. in England the previous year and had also represented neighbours Real Madrid for four years.
However, the club shortly thereafter fell on hard times, enduring successive relegations in2003 and2004. For2005–06 managerMíchel, a Real Madrid legend in the 1980s and '90s, was hired.[7]
In its first seasons back in the second tier of Spanish football, Rayo finished comfortably, often either in or just outside the promotion places. In2010–11, the team ranked in second position and returned to the top flight after an eight-year absence, only trailing championsReal Betis in spite of very serious economic problems.[10][11][12]
Diego Costa with Rayo Vallecano in 2012Chart of Rayo Vallecano league performance 1929–present
In March 2014,Huawei agreed to sponsor Rayo Vallecano for two league matches against Real Madrid andAthletic Bilbao.[13]
In August 2015, Rayo Vallecano purchased the majority ofOklahoma City FC, aNASL expansion franchise which had yet to officially play a game renaming the club toRayo OKC, despite the stadium increasingly needing work. It was the first ever entry of a Spanish club into the American sports market and mirrored a 2013 sponsorship agreement withQbao in terms of expanding the club's profile overseas.[14][15] Rayo OKC folded after a year due to Rayo Vallecano's relegation from La Liga and a dispute between the co-owners led to less finance for the U.S. side.
In May 2016, Rayo Vallecano were relegated to the Segunda División, finishing 18th in the2015–16 La Liga season. This ended their five-year streak in La Liga, their longest ever stay in the top-flight.[16] Their first season back in the second division was a poor one, with both problems on the field and off, and they finished in 12th position. Rayo went through three managers in the2016–17 Segunda División season before finally settling on club legendMíchel.[17] He revived the club from the relegation places to 12th, almost making the playoffs.
At the start of the2017–18 Segunda División season, the club appointed their recently retired goalkeeperDavid Cobeño as the sporting director of the club.[18] They secured their promotion with a 1–0 overCD Lugo with one game remaining.[19] That season the club won Segunda División with 76 points in 42 games.[20]
Rayo players during an away La Liga fixture versusReal Valladolid in January 2019
On 20 March 2019, the club appointedPaco Jémez as head coach,[21] and on 4 May, Rayo was relegated back to the Segunda División after losing 4–1 toLevante UD, eventually finishing last.[22][23]
In August 2020, the club appointedAndoni Iraola as head coach.[24] They finished sixth and won promotion in the playoffs againstGirona FC; despite losing the first leg at home 1–2, the team came back to win the second leg 2–0 away to claim a place in La Liga for2021–22.[25] In February 2022, Iraola's side defeatedRCD Mallorca to make the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey; it was the second time in club history and first since 1982.[26] The club finished 12th in La Liga. This was a big achievement as they were by far the league's smallest team, and most had predicted that they would be relegated.[27] They once again qualified for European football after 24 years, entering into theUEFA Conference League play-offs by finishing 8th in2024-25 season. They went on to make their debut appearances in a major UEFA competition group or league phase by reaching the2025–26 UEFA Conference League league phase.
Rayo Vallecano is a football club based in theVallecas neighbourhood of Madrid, traditionally considered a working-class area with a strong leftist identity. Vallecas was aRepublican stronghold during theSpanish Civil War and grew significantly under theFranco regime as it received migrants from other parts of Spain, many of whom had experienced economic hardship or political repression.[28] The club is closely associated with the local community, and both the neighbourhood and the club maintain a distinct identity, often emphasised through the alternative spelling "Vallekas".[29][30]
Consequently, Rayo Vallecano’s supporters, particularly the ultras group Bukaneros, are often left-wing, anti-fascist, and politically active.[31] In the stands, they regularly display banners, flags, and visual displays expressing opposition to racism, fascism, homophobia, and the commercialisation of football, while also supporting women's rights, workers' rights, and international solidarity, including pro-Palestine messaging.[28] Chants often carry political content, and fans have a tradition of imaginative collective protest, such as mocking league decisions on match scheduling or highlighting perceived exploitation of supporters. Republican flags,Che Guevara images, and the Spanish Civil War slogan "¡No pasarán!" are commonly displayed at games.[32] In 2014 the club and fan base aided Carmen Martinez Ayudo, an 85-year-old local woman, after she was evicted from her home, and flew banners reading "The evictions of a sick state, the solidarity of a working-class neighbourhood" displayed at the following match.[32][31]
In late March 2012, the Rayo squad took one day off training to join demonstrations supporting the2011–12 Spanish protests.[33]
The fanbase actively enforces its political views; In February 2017, Ukrainian playerRoman Zozulya left the club after one training session due to chants by Rayo fans accusing him of far-right affiliations; Zozulya denied any such associations and returned to his parent club Real Betis.[34][35] Following the training ground incident, Rayo Vallecano fans continued to target Roman Zozulya in December 2019 during a Segunda División match againstAlbacete Balompié, whom Zozulya eventually moved to. The match was abandoned at half-time after home supporters chanted "Zozulya, you are a Nazi!". The league, both clubs, and the referee agreed to suspend the game to protect players and uphold competition values. Rayo's president, Raúl Martín Presa, publicly condemned the chants and met with Zozulya to express support and respect.[36]
Supporters of the club have come into conflict with clubs of opposing ideologies: Rayo Vallecano fans have violently clashed with right-wing nationalist supporters, including Polish clubsJagiellonia Białystok andLech Poznań, during encounters that both occurred in 2025.[37][38]
In September 2025, members of the Bukaneros were reported to have acted as part of a security detail escortingPodemos leadersIone Belarra andIrene Montero during pro-Palestinian protests at the end of a stage ofVuelta a España in Madrid. The group was coordinated by lawyer Erlantz Ibarrondo, a long-standing figure on the Spanish radical left, and included other Bukaneros supporters. The protests involved clashes with police, with 22 officers injured and two people arrested, and led to the suspension of the stage finish and award ceremony in Plaza de Cibeles. The Bukaneros and legal team were present to prevent the political leaders from being crowded or attacked by other demonstrators.[39]
Kits featuringrainbow symbolism used by Rayo Vallecano in 2015/2016 to represent various causes. Los Bukaneros criticised the concept on the basis that they did not believe the management at the club was doing enough to support those causes.
The fanbase is independent and frequently opposes the club's management. Rayo Vallecano's fans do not have a good relationship with the current ownerRaúl Martín Presa and regularly chant for him to leave.[40][41] In July 2015, Rayo Vallecano unveiled a new kit featuring a rainbow , with each colour representing a different social cause: red for those fighting cancer, orange for disability integration, yellow for hope, green for environmental protection, blue against child abuse, indigo against domestic abuse, and violet for LGBTQ+ equality. Part of the proceeds from kit sales were pledged to these causes. While broadly praised by the public, the Bukaneros criticised it as cynical and superficial move by management and accused management of not genuinely supporting those causes.[42]
Although most people recognise the supporting songs by ska-punk bandSka-P (Rayo Vallecano andComo un rayo), Rayo Vallecano has an official anthem which played at their home stadium before matches.
The club is also known for chanting the song "La Vida Pirata" (English:"The Pirate Life"), a song about pirates, which theBukaneros are named after.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas is a football stadium located on Calle Payaso Fofó 1, Vallecas. Opened on 10 May 1976, at first it was called "New Stadium Vallecas", but in January 2004, 13 years after the arrival of the Ruiz-Mateos family in 1991, it changed denominations, as the wife was also named by her husband, businessmanJosé María, the first woman president of an elite football team.
It has a capacity of 14,708 spectators in an all-seated format and dimensions of 100×67 m. after the enlargement of the width and the reduction of the length of the pitch after the remodelling of the grandstands, compulsory due to the elimination of the fences surrounding the pitch. The pitch is one the smallest in La Liga. Additionally, one of the goal ends does not have a grandstand, just a big wall with information panels.[44]
In June 2009, the club announced plans for the construction of a new stadium. Nevertheless, the Autonomous Community of Madrid, owner of the stadium, has not any plan as far as it is known in 2023.
