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Form momentumLast five results weighted to wins
Rayo Vallecano is a Spanish football club. The club was founded in 1924. Rayo Vallecano is commonly known by the code RAY. Home matches are played at Estadio de Vallecas in Madrid, which has a listed capacity of 15,500 on a grass surface. Rayo Vallecano competes in Copa del Rey and other competitions tracked on Sportra. Rayo Vallecano's Sportra hub links squad lists, upcoming fixtures, recent results, multi-competition standings, advanced season statistics, and headline news in one place. On Sportra you can follow Rayo Vallecano fixtures, results, squad, league standings, season statistics, and the latest football news.
RAY · Club
Season intelligence
Stable formation usage — predictable structure and high tactical familiarity.
3W 0D 1L in last 4 — 2.25 PPG. Rarely stacks consecutive defeats.
Biggest results, streaks, and set-piece record.
With his assist against Valencia, Anthony Gordon has joined Lionel Messi and two Real Madrid icons in an assist record in La Liga. Anthony Gordon integrated seamlessly at FC Barcelona, locking down the left wing with explosive performances that have already seen him rewrite club record books. With his latest setup against Valencia, the English winger joined Lionel Messi and two Real Madrid legends in an exclusive assist category in La Liga history. Gordon marked his La Liga debut on Matchday 1 as a second-half substitute, requiring just 25 minutes to record two assists in a 5-0 rout of Elche. Inserting himself as a staple in manager Hansi Flick’s starting XI, he subsequently added two setups against Rayo Vallecano before laying off a pass for Fermin Lopez to score in another 5-0 victory over Valencia. Through those contributions, Gordon became just the second player in the 21st century to register five assists across the opening four matches of a La Liga campaign. The last player to achieve that standard was Messi during the 2011-12 season. The only other players in league history to record five assists through four matches featured decades ago for Real Madrid. Juan Gomez Gonzalez, universally known as Juanito, first set the benchmark during the 1980-81 season, followed by Michel Gonzalez during the 1987-88 campaign. Anthony Gordon of Barcelona shoots against Valencia. Gordon’s most productive playmaking season came during the 2023-24 campaign with Newcastle United. Across 48 total appearances in all competitions, he generated 16 assists, with 15 coming in Premier League action. Through just four La Liga appearances, Gordon has already accounted for a third of his career single-season league assist high, underscoring his immediate impact in Catalonia. The winger currently leads La Liga in assists, pacing ahead of Angel Perez, Unai Lopez, Javi Hernandez, and Mariano Diaz, who sit tied with three apiece. Gordon targeting Messi’s record? Barcelona have poured in 17 total goals through their opening four fixtures of the 2026-27 La Liga campaign, maintaining a blistering offensive pace that provides Gordon ample opportunity to build on his numbers. Sitting on five assists, he could realistically challenge the single-season league benchmark established by Messi. The record for most assists in a single La Liga campaign stands at 21, set by Messi for Barcelona during the 2019-20 season. Across all competitions that year, the Argentine legend compiled 26 total assists.
In an extract from a new book, the Danish former referee recalls sending off the England midfielder for his infamous kick on Diego SimeoneAt half-time on 30 June 1998, Kim Milton Nielsen stepped into the changing room at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Étienne. The air reeked of wet towels. He hugged his assistants. They’d just taken charge of the best half of football they’d ever officiated.Argentina v England. World Cup round of 16. Michael Owen had terrorised Argentina with blistering runs and his breakout goal. A clever free-kick had outsmarted the English defence. Nielsen had awarded two penalties. He couldn’t wait for the second half, but he didn’t know what was coming. Continue reading...
With his latest goal for Barcelona against Valencia, Raphinha surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo and matched Lionel Messi in an iconic 21st-century La Liga benchmark. Raphinha has emerged as FC Barcelona‘s chief goalscoring threat during the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season, powering the club to the top of the table with staggering efficiency. With his latest strike in a 5-0 victory over Valencia, Raphinha surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s best four-match league start while matching Lionel Messi for an iconic 21st-century La Liga benchmark. Barcelona visited Valencia for Matchday 4 with an attacking trident featuring Anthony Gordon and Lamine Yamal on the flanks while Raphinha operated as the central striker. The Brazilian once again found his name on the scoresheet in the 50th minute with Barcelona leading 2-0, turning in an accurate cross from Fermin Lopez to redirect the ball into the back of the net. With that finish, Raphinha reached six goals across the opening four fixtures of the 2026-27 La Liga campaign, scoring in every single match thus far. He becomes just the second Barcelona player in the 21st century to accomplish the feat, joining Lionel Messi in elite company. The Barcelona legend was the first player in modern club history to score six goals through the opening four matches of a La Liga season, accomplishing the feat twice. Messi first reached six goals through four games in 2012-13 by netting three braces despite going scoreless on Matchday 3, before repeating the milestone in 2013-14 with a brace and a hat trick despite missing Matchday 2 through injury. Lionel Messi of Barcelona shoots for score in front of Adil Rami of Valencia. (Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images) Operating outside the mold of a conventional central target man, Raphinha stands as the competition’s premier goalscorer. The Brazilian opened his account with a brace in a 5-0 Matchday 1 win over Elche, scored once in a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, added another brace in a 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano, and extended his streak against Valencia. Barcelona sit atop the La Liga standings with a perfect 12 points from four matches, displaying lethal form in front of goal with 17 total team goals while surrendering just two at the defensive end. Cristiano Ronaldo left off the mark Cristiano Ronaldo routinely shattered goalscoring standards following his 2009 arrival at Real Madrid. However, unlike Messi and Raphinha, the Portuguese icon never matched that specific four-game scoring surge to open a La Liga season. Ronaldo’s personal best through Matchday 4 of a La Liga campaign stood at five goals, a mark he achieved across three separate seasons. He first set the standard during his 2009-10 debut campaign before replicating it in 2014-15 and 2015-16, highlighted by a five-goal masterclass against Espanyol on Matchday 3 of the latter campaign. Nevertheless, the Portuguese star produced an unprecedented scoring stretch later in that 2014-15 campaign by racking up nine goals across his first four individual league appearances. After sitting out Matchday 2 due to injury, Ronaldo hit nine goals through Matchday 5, scoring once against Cordoba, once against Atletico Madrid, three against Deportivo La Coruna, and four against Elche.
Leaving the door open for a return after he retires, Luka Modric revealed that Jose Mourinho was the "most important factor" for him to arrive to Real Madrid. Luka Modric established himself as one of the most influential midfielders in soccer history during his decorated tenure at Real Madrid, leaving a standard that the club has found difficult to replicate. While leaving the door open for a post-retirement return to the Bernabeu, Modric revealed that Jose Mourinho was the “most important factor” in bringing him to the Spanish capital. Following four standout seasons at Tottenham Hotspur where he consolidated his status among Europe’s elite orchestrators, Modric joined Real Madrid in 2012 for a €35 million ($40.6 million USD) fee. Initially, the transfer drew skepticism from critics due to the Croatian’s lower public profile, but as he locked down a starting role, he evolved into a club legend, a trajectory he insists would have been impossible without Mourinho’s intervention. In an interview with Diario Marca, when asked who supporters should credit for his arrival at Real Madrid, Modric singled out the Portuguese manager’s persistence: “The club in general, but I think Mourinho was the most important factor in my arrival, because he did everything, everything in his power so that I would be the signing of that summer.“ Modric elaborated on the manager’s pivotal role in pushing the deal over the finish line. “Madrid brought in (Michael) Essien on loan and only me as a signing. The negotiation with Tottenham was not easy. It was hard and long. And if Mourinho had not been so insistent, maybe Madrid would have withdrawn from the negotiation. But he was insistent and he wanted me. That is why I think he was the most important,” he added. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho talks to Luka Modric. (Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) Modric also acknowledged the role of club president Florentino Perez and expressed deep affection for him, while maintaining that “Mourinho was the first, and I will always be grateful for that treatment, for that affection from day one.” At the time, Mourinho was entering his third season at the helm of Real Madrid having already secured three trophies. However, the 2012-13 campaign proved to be Mourinho’s final year in Madrid after ending without a major trophy and falling in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, leaving Modric wishing for more time under his guidance. “The only pity was that I didn’t play under him for more than a year. But well, that’s life. I learned a lot in that year with him, but I would have liked to play for him for a longer time,” the Croatian midfielder noted. Modric to return to Madrid Currently under contract through June 2027 with AC Milan, Modric laughed off the idea of a playing return to Real Madrid under Mourinho’s current tenure, noting that “it’s too late now.” However, he made clear that he intends to settle in the Spanish capital after his playing days, with an eventual executive or administrative role at Real Madrid topping his list of desires. When asked about returning to the club after hanging up his boots, Modric openly shared his ambitions: “I hope so. I would like to. To be honest, I don’t need to hide it. Madrid is my home and of course one day I would like to return. But we will see how and in what role, if that happens.“ The veteran midfielder emphasized that if he eventually returns, he wants to make a meaningful impact rather than relying on his legacy, adopting a mindset to “work not in Real Madrid, but for Real Madrid.” He echoed Mourinho’s philosophy that any future role should focus on making the club even bigger. Regarding his long-term personal plans, Modric remains committed to returning to Spain, even if his exact post-career path remains undecided. “My intention is to return to Madrid and live there, but then you know how things go. You can never say anything with certainty. But hopefully, hopefully it happens,” he concluded.
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