The Rayo Zuliano Post
Market11 Jan 2027
Christian Maldonado says no to Dynamo Puerto
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Christian Maldonado had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Market11 Jan 2027
Christian Maldonado hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rayo Zuliano can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Óscar Conde signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Óscar Conde and Rayo Zuliano agree another 3 years.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Deiber Vásquez is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Rayo Zuliano
José Sánchez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Jorge Gómez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Door shut on Víctor Viez
Rayo Zuliano asked and Yaracuyanos said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market11 Jan 2027
Rayo Zuliano promote Gabriel Gonzalez from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Gabriel Gonzalez has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market11 Jan 2027
Rayo Zuliano promote Daniel Osorio from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Daniel Osorio has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
In brief
- The dugout Óscar Conde knocks on the manager's door
- The dugout The manager comes out for Joiser Arias