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Joaquin: The Real Betis Joker Who's Having the Last Laugh

Valladolid, which is perched in the north-west of Spain, was once the country's capital city.

Renowned explorer Christopher Columbus died there, and it's where Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, used to live. Its football team, Real Valladolid, hasn't had much success, but on Sunday its stadium will make a little bit of history when Real Betis captain Joaquin is set to pass Barcelona's iconic star Xavi Hernandez in seventh position on the list of players to have made the most appearances in La Liga.

Provided he stays fit, Joaquin will bypass Iker Casillas—Spain's FIFA World Cup-winning captain and another giant of Spanish football history—on the ladder by the end of the season.