Tag: spain

The last dance of Juan Carlos Valerón

Deep in the Barranco Seco, a light-hearted game of tag broke the morning sun. Pre-season in Gran Canaria’s capital was officially underway, while the promotion celebrations of June were finally put to an…

Rayo Vallecano’s sustainable revolving door

Building a squad to thrive in Europe’s top leagues can take years of careful planning and stability, but Rayo Vallecano’s finances dictate a completely different approach to the transfer market. Last season Los…

A Tale of One City: Seville

This feature is part of A Tale of One City Seville is an astonishingly beautiful city. Cloaked in distinctive, Moorish architecture and set against the dramatic backdrop of the river Guadalquivir, many would…

Sevilla and Betis: togetherness through tragedy

The opening weekend of the football season is one when hope, however temporary, triumphs over all else. In August 2007 this was the case for Sevilla, who were riding the crest of a…

Athletic Club and the case for sustainability

In the words of Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle: “Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient.” There is no club more self-sufficient in world football than Athletic Club and after another season fighting for European qualification in…

The final countdown for Xavi and Pirlo

FOR THE GENERATION OF FOOTBALL FANATICS FROM WHENCE I CAME, the summer of 2015 will be a poignant one. Time, it appears, has flown. Now our idols, those we were besotted by –…

The kidnap of Alfredo Di Stéfano

ON 5 APRIL 2015, Venezuelan painter and sculptor Paul del Río turned a gun on his own chest and pulled the trigger. A single bullet pierced the artist’s heart, ending his life in…

The eternal promise of Real Madrid hero Guti

ALMOST 550 APPEARANCES, 15 trophies and 25 years of loyal service; José María Gutiérrez Hernández, or ‘Guti’ to you and I, came within two twilight seasons of becoming a one-club man for the biggest…