There's life beyond James Rodríguez at Rayo Vallecano: the club will compete in an international tournament after 25 years.

James Rodríguez's time at Rayo Vallecano was the poorest of his career. The Colombian, returning to the Spanish League after his time at Real Madrid, couldn't adapt to the club and only lasted six months. In January of this year, he left for León in Mexico.

James and Rayo Vallecano's paths diverged, and very few in Colombia followed suit, as the team, under Íñigo Pérez, ultimately made history. After 25 years, the club will once again compete in international competition.

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The last time Rayo Vallecano participated in a European tournament was in the UEFA Cup, in the 2000-2001 season, where they reached the quarterfinals, only to lose to Alavés, who, in turn, reached a historic final: they lost 5-4 to Liverpool in extra time.

Despite drawing 0-0 against Mallorca on Saturday, Rayo Vallecano remained in eighth place in La Liga and secured a place in the Conference League, thanks to Osasuna's 1-1 draw with Alavés, which forced them to settle for ninth place.

Both teams finished tied on points, with 52. However, Rayo ended up in eighth place in a direct confrontation: they drew 1-1 in Pamplona and won 3-1 in Vallecas.

"I'm very proud of what we've achieved because entering Europe is complex, and because of our nature, we have more difficulties than the rest. We've known how not to complain, to leverage our strengths, and we've achieved it," declared coach Íñigo Pérez.

"This is a work of many years that has brought us here, and therefore, now it will be a source of pride and honor to carry the name of Vallecas, Madrid, and Spain throughout Europe. It's a responsibility we want to assume to do well next season," declared Rayo Vallecano president Martín Presa.

Rayo Vallecano celebrated their European qualification for the Liga Confélibra with a huge early-morning party at the Fuente de la Asamblea stadium, where the squad arrived in an open-top bus to celebrate their success with hundreds of fans.

Riding aboard a blue bus with the slogan "Rayo crossing Europe" printed on it, the first-team players, along with members of the coaching staff and their families, traveled at a slow pace the short kilometer from Vallecas Stadium to the Assembly Fountain.

Meanwhile, James, who played just 207 minutes for Rayo Vallecano, spread across seven matches, had to travel to Mexico, where he went from strength to strength, but at least regained his playing time with the national team.