El Partido

You would think that a capital city based club playing European football would be a powerhouse? Not always. Rayo Vallecano are one of the most interesting stories you will find in Spanish football. Whether it's the confusing decisions to relay their pitch in winter, failing to invest in the stadium or even having to queue for 2 hours to buy a ticket in 2026 - Rayo just don't things in a normal way. A lot of that is down to their president, who seems to thrive in noteriety. Presa continously goads fans, restricts the clubs ambitions and undervalues Rayo as a club - but the faithful fans still continue to push the club forward in spite of their owner, proving that football can still belong to the people.

In this episode Nick is joined by Spanish football journalist and Rayo fan, Paul Reidy, as they look at the story behind this fascinating club and how the club manages to succeed beyond expectation despite issues off the pitch.

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With confirmation of a 'La Liga - Retro Weekend', we've been abuzz with how the weekend will look, as our passion for Spanish football nostalgia reached peak levels.

It has been confirmed that all 42 clubs in Primera and Segunda will spend one weekend playing in retro kits from the 90s along with stadium branding, 80s style balls, old school nets, proper scoreboards and so much more.

Join Nick and Paul as they truly reminisce and talk about which kits they'd like to see but also, why does nostaliga sell?!

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Spanish football is known for its football rivalries - so based on competition, some regional rivalries and some are rivals who are bound by a joint cause.

But even the most ardent fans of El Clásico will admit, there is one derby game in Spain that is unmatched for the heat of its rivalry - El Gran Derbí!

The games between Sevilla and Real Betis are some of the most hotly contested matches on the Iberian Peninsula and they are born out of so much more than just football. The city divides along the fault lines of class and politics of course but nothing matches the football rivalry.

Join Nick and Paul as they explore El Gran Derbí and how it is the most anticipated game in any Sevilliano or Betico diary.

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Not too many people would have heard of the town of Cambados. A quaint fishing town nestled into the jagged coastline of Galicia, just west of Pontevedra.

But for a brief period, the nation began to hear more about this unassuming corner of Spain due to meteoric rise of it's football club - Xuventude de Cambados. They were taking the leagues by storm, rising to the third tier and signing players of high quality and experience. How could a club in a town of just 10,000 people be doing this? Like many whirldwind clubs, it all stems from a wealthy backer - in this case a man called Sito Miñanco.

Whilst popular in the town, as a local lad done good in the eyes of some, to others he was a centre figure to the trafficking operations of South American cartels as Galicia, with it's jagged coastline of estuaries and caverns, became a gateway to Europe during the cocaine explosion of the 80's.

In this El Partido story, we look at how one club suddenly found itself at the crossroads of football glory and the international drug trade and how Xuventude de Cambados fell just as fast as they rose upon the arrest of their criminal President.

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We all know Xabi Alonso - Champions League talisman, Galactico and more recently elite football manager. Alonso played at the very pinnacle at football, not redefining the role but becoming the undisputed master of deep-lying playmaker.

In this episode, Nick and Paul look over how a small stint in the Basque town of Eibar instilled a belief into Xabi and matured a teenage prospect into an elite world footballer that would go onto win every trophy available to him.

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In a season where Diego Simeone is finding himself questioned in his hunt for silverware, we take you back to the season where it all started for El Cholo and his Atleti side that would break the two-team dominance of Spanish football.

Join Nick and Paul as we look back over the 2013 Copa del Rey winning side that thrived with El Cholismo at it's heart and how that cup winning game at the Santiago Bernabeu, breaking a 14 year hoodoo over their city rivals, was the catalyst for Atleti and Simeone to establish Los Colchoneros as the third dominating force in Spanish football.

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The Classic Shirt boom in the UK and Ireland began around 10 years ago and shows no signs of slowing down, as the demand for the most stunning and often nichest shirts gets larger year on year.

That same boom is now happening in Spain and we were delighted to be joined by Luke, owner and founder of Kit Launch - a brilliant football shirt store in Barcelona. Hailing originally from Cork, Luke joins Nick and Paul to tell us about his story and why he decided to open up a classic shirts store in Spain, that is now becoming a corner stone of an evergrowing community and culture in Barcelona. We also talk about Raul, Guinness Sponsors, Spanish Non-League and everything else in between - this isn't one to miss!

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During the lates 90s, David Beckham was becoming a star - a Premier League and Champions League winner, an Adidas athlete and even married to a Spice Girl. Everything he touched, turned to gold - hence the nickname.

Then, in 2003, the unthinkable - Manchester United transfer list David Beckham... There was only one place for Beckham and that was heading to join the Galacticos of Real Madrid!

In this episode, Nick is joined by Luke Chambers to look back over Beckham's move to Real Madrid and how his stint in the Spanish capital propelled him to a global stardom not even he could imagine, whilst still being a player who truly had to earn his Galactico status!

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The final of the African Cup of Nations was this weekend and it did not fail to live up to the drama and chaos we expect from one of the most underrated footballing competitions on the planet!

With Paul back from El Partido Paternity, we thought we'd celebrate our rekindled love of African football by celebrating the stars of the continent who played in La Liga - with our Favourite African XI!

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For Part Two of this epic Futbol Weekender in Barcelona, Tom takes us to two brilliant games in the Spanish lower leagues. Starting with a pilgramage we should all make at least one in our lifetime, a trip to the Campo Municipal Narcis Sala to watch the ever popular UE Sant Andreu before then heading slightly out of the city to watch surprise Primera RFEF league leaders Sabadell destroy an ailing Marbella side to remain out in front for promotion!

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