Think of Madrid and you think of Real Madrid, the city’s giant football club plays a leading role in Spanish football, let alone in the nation’s capital. But, Madrid is far from a one-club city. This Sunday, Rayo Vallecano and Atlético Madrid will face off in LaLiga.
A brief history of Atlético and Rayo
I’ll start with the more well-known club of the two, the city’s second club, Atlético Madrid. Founded by Athletic Club fans in 1903, they quickly became more than a Basque project in the capital, but have never quite been able to topple Real Madrid off its perch as the city’s number-one club.
During the Second World War they became the team of the air force, calling themselves Atlético Aviación de Madrid, and in the 1950’s they had something of a golden era. Under the management of Helenio Herrera, they won LaLiga in 1950 and 1951, adding to the two titles they won a decade previously.
They’ve won seven titles since, with their 2014 title being the most famous of the modern era, and 2021 being their most recent. Still, their time in the Segunda Division relatively recently and their famous/infamous (depending on which side of the divide you stand) Champions League final defeats to Real Madrid, tell the tale of an underdog.
That being said, tell that to a Rayo Vallecano fan. It would be interesting to see how many people even know Rayo is a Madrid-based club. They’ll be staring out at the outskirts of the city to see the Cívitas Meterpolitano, the home of Atlético by the motorway, from the humble open sides of their own stadium, Estadio de Vallecas.
Historically the third club of Madrid, you could be forgiven for not even knowing they were based in the city. Based in the proudly working class and anti-fascist neighborhood of Vallecas, Rayo’s left-leaning politics is a contrast to say Atlético, who have been associated with more right-wing factions of support.
Founded in 1924 their time has been spent mostly in the second tier. Their trophy cabinet includes one Segunda Division title, and four third-tier honors. In fact, their biggest moment in the sun is arguably their run in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup, where they reached the quarter-final only to be knocked out by an Alavés side enjoying their own fairytale.
The context of this game
What makes this derby so interesting this season is that both teams are close matches. The game earlier in this season finished in a draw, with Radamel Falcao’s 92nd-minute penalty salvaging a point for Rayo. You get the feeling that things could be different in this match.
You will find Atlético sitting in third, a position to which they are accustomed nowadays, and one which thanks to results in recent weeks seems to be where they will end the campaign. In a season that has seemed like it may be Diego Simeone’s swansong at the club, the club has managed to turn things around, in no small part to Antoine Griezmann.
The World Cup happening in mid-season caused many hangovers for players, but not for Griezmann, who lost in the final but returned a winner. He took up a deeper role for France, being arguably their best player at the tournament, and has continued to do this for Atlético. He is naturally going to be key for them in this game.
Rayo find themselves in eighth, a position to which they are not accustomed. With one of the tightest relegation battle’s in Europe happening in LaLiga this season, Rayo are surprisingly not involved. Normally scrapping down at the bottom, this season they are in the fight for European football.
Under the tutelage of Andoni Iraola, they have been one of the best teams to watch in the league. Their star man is Isi Palazón, who is enjoying the season of his career. He didn’t even play second-tier football until he was 25, now 28 he’s scored six league goals in 26 games with five assists to complement.
Rayo haven’t won in this fixture since 2013, and maybe it’s fate, but that was in an exact mirror of this game a decade ago.
So, why should you watch this game?
Well for starters it kicks off at 10 pm Central European Time, meaning that like me if you’re in the UK it will kick off with no competing Premier League games. But if you would still rather watch Lorient vs Marseille or Cristiano Ronaldo shamelessly peacock around for Al Nassar when they play Al Feiha, let me persuade you further.
Both these teams are coming into the game at probably the most equal they’ve ever been. Atlético Madrid have the quality that comes with riches, though Rayo have it through smart squad building themselves. With the game being at Rayo’s home ground, expect Los Vallecanos to start the game with the hammer down.
Their 3-2 Victory over Real Madrid back in November showed the world this team was on a mission, and no doubt will provide them with a lot of belief they can get a similar result against another club from the city. For Atlético they will want to increase their stranglehold on third place, and even do their best to catch Real Madrid in second.
In the early months of the season it seemed like third place could be a real battle with Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Villarreal, and Athletic Club vying for it alongside Atlético. It hasn’t quite gone like that, but there are still 11 games to go, so they will be keen to build on their small lead.
Easter Sunday may be one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar, but I can confidently say this game overshadows Jesus’ resurrection. Indeed had the big man been in a tomb this weekend I think he would leave it to see Florian Lejeune step up for a free kick. So, on Sunday sit down with an Easter egg and watch this game. And I’m sorry for the blasphemy Christians…He’s probably a Real Madrid fan anyway.
