Andoni Iraola’s side have risen above the noise to create their own, with a better home record than any top European club
![Rayo Vallecano: a mess, ‘problem after problem’ … and top four in La Liga | Sid Lowe](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e45d7754a0c47822027822c17a12522b068f0436/247_42_2615_1568/master/2615.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=91e545019604fa15c50854e6eeb620d0)
We’re leavin’ togetherBut still it’s farewellAnd maybe we’ll come backTo earth, who can tell?
Maybe. Probably, in fact. Just not now, not yet. They’re enjoying this ride much too much. After every goal Rayo Vallecano score down in the Independent People’s Republic of Vallekas, someone presses play, the opening bars of The Final Countdown boom across the three sides of the ground, and everyone bounces about, crumbling stands wobbling again as they scat along and swirl their scarves, da-da da daa, da da da-da daa doing the rounds. They’ve been doing it for years, but never as often as they are these days. And if that used to be as close as they were ever going to get to Europe, it’s not any more.