Rayo Vallecano: you don't sign for the money

It should be the most dysfunctional football organisation, existing in another galaxy to the likes of Barcelona – yet somehow Rayo Vallecano manage to survive and thrive every season.

The three-sided stadium with a ropey pitch is way off the Madrid tourist map and is a bit of a hell-hole for most visiting clubs. I'd say visiting fans too, but the state of the stadium is so poor, no official travelling support is allowed.

Even those who want to support "The Boys from the Barrios" must go though an ordeal to secure match-tickets. They're not available online, so they need to join a queue around the dilapidating stadium that leads to the ticket office.

For Rayo fans. It was worth every cent last weekend as they gave Barcelona their seasonal fright. Hansi Flick looked as shell-shocked as his predecessors as he jumped onto the team bus to escape a reality check.

There were shades of Ronald Koeman - who looked like the loneliest man in the world - following his Barcelona team's shock 0-1 defeat at the Vallecas back in 2021. It was the end of the road for the Dutchman.

It also marked the beginning of the end for his successor, Xavi Hernández. After a disappointing result against Rayo two seasons ago, he launched into his players publicly for the first time. He was given the dreaded vote of confidence by the club president; his days were marked.

Herr Flick is fortunate that the Rayo experience came early in the season when his title-winning stock is high. His new goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, performed magnificently to ensure Barça hung on for a 1-1 draw. Even Flick - one of the wisest coaches around - learned a harsh lesson: not to underestimate a team that appeared to be cobbled together. His experiment almost blew up in his face.

The focus of the critical Spanish media was on the Barcelona coach and not the miracle workers from the working-class suburbs of Madrid.

This is a team assembled for a cost of around €3 million over three transfer windows. You don't sign for Rayo for the money; you sign as it is your best shot at joining a La Liga club.

The beauty is that they don't play "survival football"; the brand is aesthetically pleasing. Iñigo Pérez has led them into Europe by taking the game to the opposition. What made the Barcelona success even more impressive was the fact that it came just a few days after Rayo had beaten Neman to secure a place in the UEFA Conference League. I'm sure that even the Belarussians were shocked at the state of the stadium they were visiting.

Coach Pérez will use every advantage he can to take Rayo on the adventure. Yet it's a twist of fate that he's at the club. He should have accompanied Andoni Iraola from Madrid to Bournemouth - but he was denied a work permit.

The Premier League's loss was La Liga's gain. It's a wonderful story of a club that is so perfectly imperfect.