The Rayo Vallecano has made official the signing of Luiz Felipe, a 28-year-old Italian-Brazilian defender, for the 2025/2026 season. The central defender arrives at the Madrid-based team after terminating his contract with Olympique de Marsella.

Who is Luiz Felipe?

Luiz Felipe is a central defender with a long career in Lazio, where he spent five years. He has also played for Betis during the 2022/2023 season, where he played more than 30 games between League, Cup and Europa League.

What does it mean for Rayo Vallecano?

The signing of Luiz Felipe is an important reinforcement for Rayo Vallecano, which seeks to improve its defense for the next season. The Madrid-based team finished the 2025/2026 season in 8th place in the standings, with 50 points and a balance of 12 wins, 14 draws and 12 losses.

What's next?

The Rayo Vallecano will begin its pre-season on July 8 with an open-door session at the Ciudad Deportiva. Then, the team will travel to Belgium to face Genk on July 19, and later will move to the Netherlands to complete a week of training.

DateMatch
July 19Rayo Vallecano vs Genk
July 26Rayo Vallecano vs PEC Zwolle
August 2Rayo Vallecano vs West Bromwich Albion
August 10Rayo Vallecano vs Sunderland

The Rayo Vallecano will also play the first leg of the Conference League qualifying phase on August 22. Currently, the team is in 8th place in the standings, with 50 points and a balance of 12 wins, 14 draws and 12 losses, and has a goal deficit of 3 in the season.

Current context

Last season, Rayo Vallecano finished with 41 goals scored and 44 goals conceded, and is 44 points behind the leader, Barcelona. The team's last game was a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace on May 27, 2026. Currently, the team has several injured players, including I. Akhomach, Luiz Felipe, D. Mendez and A. Garcia.