BarcelonaThe recent history of Rayo Vallecano, a rival that Espanyol faces this Sunday (2pm, M. LaLiga), cannot be understood without the contribution of two strikers who, in addition to sharing a name, Raúl, have in common to have left important traces in the white-and-blue entity. Tamudo, the top scorer in the history of Espanyol, was a key player in his stay in Primera for more than a decade. De Tomás, who admitted that he wanted to be able to follow in the footsteps of Tamudo at Espanyol in his long career as a Spaniard, could not avoid the decline of 2020 but was the most prominent figure in the rise last year , and continues to claim his importance as one of the most prominent players in the league.
The two experienced stages that left a great memory in Vallecas. Tamudo arrived at the age of 34 with a backpack full of experience. “He was a player valued in the locker room for his veteranism and experience. The first season, without being an undisputed starter, he scored ten goals. It was a high-quality shock that contributed a lot to the team “, comments the journalist of Unión Rayo, Jorge Morán. “We’ve had great strikers, like Hugo Sánchez, Diego Costa, RDT, Tamudo and now Falcao, who we don’t know how or why they ended up in Vallecas helping with their goals at different times in their careers,” he recalls.
A legend for Spanish nationalism, the Colomen striker also became an idol for the Madrid fans after signing one of the most important goals in the history of this club. In the 91st minute of the last day of the 2011-12 League, he headed a ball bounced off the crossbar that allowed Rayo to defeat Granada. That goal was worth much more than another year in the top flight. The club had alternated the Second with the Second B the previous eight seasons, and thanks to that target it was able to extend the stay to First a total of five courses.
“El Rayo had had many problems, even non-payment. And the possibility had been rumored, in case of relegation, of disappearance “, adds Morán, who celebrates that there was no VAR at that time:” I was in a clear offside that saw the whole stadium except the referee aside, and thank goodness you didn’t see it. ” “Tamudo is the protagonist of the most exciting night I’ve ever lived in Vallecas, I’ve never seen so many people crying in the stadium,” he says. “It’s a goal that will never be forgotten in life,” admitted Tamudo himself, who returned to Rayo a few months after finishing a brief stint at Mexican Pachuca.
RDT, key in the rise of 2018
If Tamudo played his last matches in Primera with Rayo, De Tomás followed the opposite path and made his debut in the top category with the whole of the red stripe. “His first year in the Second Division was the best player in the division. He’s the best striker I’ve ever seen with the red stripe. He grabbed the ball and did whatever he wanted from anywhere. I don’t remember anyone in Segona, maybe Trejo last year, who had so much quality and was so high above the rest of the rivals “, continues Morán.
The 24 goals he scored in his first year (2017-18), a record in the history of the entity, led to Rayo returning to Primera two seasons later. The Madrid team managed to extend their transfer for a second year in which RDT again played a prominent role (14 goals), but could not avoid a further decline. The striker, much loved in Vallecas, will park his feelings this Sunday and will try to fatten his goal-scoring record with Espanyol, where he is three goals away from equaling those he did with Rayo (35 to 38).
