Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid.
Three of Spain’s biggest clubs and three sides that need no introduction.
However, there are seventeen other sides who will compete in La Liga next season who are perhaps less well known to European football fans.
So, with that in mind, we thought it a good time to dig a little deeper into La Liga’s latest edition RCD Mallorca.
The History
Founded in 1916, the club based in the city of Palma on the island of Mallorca have had plenty of ups in their history but also some serious downs.
Initially they were known as Alfonso XIII Football Club so called in respect of the King of Spain at the time but their first ever home game was a 8-0 thumping at the hands of Barcelona.
After toiling around the Catalan Championship for a number of years, it was in the 1960’s that saw Mallorca (changed their name in 1919) make it to Spain’s top flight for the first time and spend a total of five seasons there before the 1970’s hit with a bang.
If the 60’s were boom time for Mallorca, the 70’s almost ruined them and in 1977 the club’s players refused to come out of the locker room after not having been paid.
Relegation to the Tercera division soon followed and the club was on its knees but somehow pulled through and made it back to the top flight in 1983.
The late 1990’s was successful period for the club and during the 2000/01 season, the Vermilions finished third in La Liga.
Last Season
Mallorca finished fifth last season but earned promotion back to the top flight by way of the playoffs.
It will be the first time the side have been in Spain’s top flight since suffering relegation in 2013.
Who’s the Owner?
In 2016, American Robert Sarver became the largest shareholder of the club and soon went about working on a major restructuring of the club including bringing in Maheta Molango as the Chief Executive Officer.
Who’s the Gaffer?
Vicente Moreno is the man who took charge of Mallorca in 2017 and earned them promotion last season.
The 44-year-old spent his playing career in Spain’s lower leagues but as a manager guided Gimnastic to the Segunda Division B title in 2015 as well as repeating that feat for Mallorca in 2018 and then gaining promotion once via the playoffs from the Segunda division.
The Expectation?
RCD Mallorca have plenty of La Liga experience and potential. Their island location may let then down somewhat but survival is surely a possibility and they will look closely at the model Leganes and Eibar have adopted in order to grow when many thought they would drop away.
