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Rayo Vallecano's coach Paco Jemez reacts during the Spanish league football match Sevilla FC vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla on April 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ CRISTINA QUICLER (Photo credit should read CRIST
Rayo Vallecano's coach Paco Jemez reacts during the Spanish league football match Sevilla FC vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla on April 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ CRISTINA QUICLER (Photo credit should read CRISTCRISTINA QUICLER/Getty Images

Rayo Vallecano Boss Paco Jemez: 'I Bet My Balls' on Good Performance vs. Madrid

Joe Gallagher
Dec 15, 2015

Match of the Dayย presenter Gary Lineker's high-stakes gamble has been promptly and comprehensively outdone.

While it would, of course, be a mistake to take the words of a football coach literally, Rayo Vallecano boss Paco Jemez has placed a tonne of faith in his struggling side ahead of a trip to Real Madrid on Sunday.

Rayo sit 18th in La Liga with just four wins from 15 games, some 16 points behind Los Blancos, who lost 1-0 to Villarreal on the weekend.

But speaking on the Al Primer Toqueย radio show (viaย AS), Jemez gambled something rather precious on a good performance.

"I bet my balls that my players will play well at the Bernabeu next Sunday," he said.

MADRID, SPAIN - AUGUST 19: head coach Paco Jemez of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid sitted on the bench with his technical staff prior to start the La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Elche FC at Estadio Teresa Rivero on August 19, 2013 in Madrid
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

The stakes have never been higher.

But he didn't stop there: "On the day they were handing out brains, I ended up with a small one, but when they handed out balls, I got the biggest."

Well, then. Rafa Benitez has come a long way from Jose Mourinho mind games.

[AS]

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