kids encyclopedia robot

RCD Mallorca facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mallorca
Rcd mallorca.svg
Full name Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, S.A.D.
Nickname(s) Los Piratas (The Pirates)
Los Bermellones (The Vermilions)
Els Barralets (The Barralet)
Founded 5 March 1916; 108 years ago (1916-03-05) as Alfonso XIII Foot-Ball Club
Ground Estadi Mallorca Son Moix
Ground Capacity 26,020
Owner Andy Kohlberg (majority)
Steve Nash (minority)
Steve Kerr (minority)
President Andy Kohlberg
Head coach Javier Aguirre
League La Liga
2022–23 La Liga, 9th of 20
Third colours

Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, S.A.D. (Spanish: [reˈal ˈkluβ ðepoɾˈtiβo maˈʎoɾka], Catalan: Reial Club Deportiu Mallorca [rəˈjal ˈklub dəpuɾˈtiw məˈʎɔɾkə], Royal Sporting Club Mallorca), commonly known as Real Mallorca or just Mallorca, is a Spanish professional football club based in Palma on the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, they currently compete in La Liga, holding home games at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix with a 23,142-seat capacity.

The club had its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s, reaching a best-ever third place in La Liga in 1999 and 2001 and winning the Copa del Rey in 2003 following final defeats in 1991 and 1998. Mallorca also won the 1998 Supercopa de España and reached the 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final.

Mallorca traditionally play in red shirts with black shorts and socks.

History

The early years

Founded on 5 March 1916, what would later become RCD Mallorca was registered at the Spanish Football Federation under the name of Alfonso XIII Foot-Ball Club.

Weeks after its establishment, the club wasted little time forming the directors of Alfonso XIII FBC, headed by engineer Adolfo Vázquez Humasqué and eight other football fans. Their first stadium, the Buenos Aires field, was inaugurated with a competitive fixture against FC Barcelona just 20 days after registering further fast-tracked development. Despite the fixture ending in a disappointing 8–0 defeat, it was not long before King Alfonso XIII himself requested the royal adoption of ‘Real’ in the team's title, therefore becoming Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII Foot-Ball Club.

RCD Mallorca first match
RCD Mallorca first match on 25 March 1916 against FC Barcelona reserve team.
Acta fundacional RCDMallorca
Founding charter of Alfonso XIII Football Club in 1916.

In 1917, the Catalan Federation granted Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII admission into the second-tier league championship as an unofficial champion of the Balearic Islands. Booking a place in the final, Los Bermellones went on to record their first title with a resounding 3–1 victory over Futbol Club Palafrugell, in Barcelona.

Until the 1930s, the board of directors managed to organise fixtures against peninsular clubs such as RCD Espanyol and Real Murcia, while also hosting rare exhibitions against foreign sides including: Ajax in 1923, Uruguay's national team in 1925, Chilean outfit Colo-Colo in 1927 and one of the Czech Republic's oldest teams, Prague Meteor, in 1930.

In 1931, following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic which prohibited any form of reference to monarchy, the club was renamed to Club Deportivo Mallorca.

Although major fixtures and competitions across Spain were soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, the squad enjoyed a highly successful spell by winning every possible championship they entered into, as football on the island remained resistant to the deferral experienced throughout the country. When the war finally ended, matches with teams from the Peninsula were quick to resume and the Second Division was inaugurated, based on five groups of eight teams each.

It was during a period in the Second Division that, on 22 September 1945, the time had come to wave goodbye to Buenos Aires Field and up sticks to Es Fortí, a 16,000-maximum capacity stadium which would be called home for over half a century and undergo several expansions. A line-up featuring forward Sebastián Pocoví, defender Saturnino Grech and goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets beat Jerez 3–0 on the opening game of the new campaign the following day, with Carlos Sanz scoring Es Fortí's first goal in front of packed-out terraces. The title Es Fortí was short-lived however, with the board later changing the name of the stadium to Lluís Sitjar, in honour of the man who had driven the construction of the field.

During the 1949–1950 season, the Balearic club recovered their "Real" title, becoming Real Club Deportivo Mallorca

1990s and 2000s: Peak

Real Club Deportivo Mallorca league performance 1929-2023
Chart of RCD Mallorca league performance 1929-2023

In 1990–91, Mallorca reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time, losing by one goal to Atlético Madrid.

Argentine Héctor Cúper was hired as manager in 1997. In his first season, the club reached the 1998 Copa del Rey Final, and lost on penalties to FC Barcelona after a 1–1 draw in Mestalla. However, as Barcelona also won the league, Mallorca were their opponents in the 1998 Supercopa de España and won 3–1 on aggregate for their first major honour. Barcelona's double also meant Mallorca entered the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the final staging of the tournament – they lost the final 2–1 to Italy's S.S. Lazio at Villa Park.

In 1999, Mallorca also finished a best-ever 3rd and qualified for the first time to the UEFA Champions League, but were eliminated on the away goals rule by Molde FK of Norway before the group stage. Luis Aragonés matched 3rd place in 2001, before leaving for an Atlético Madrid still in the second tier. On 28 June 2003, Mallorca won the Copa del Rey with a 3–0 win over Recreativo de Huelva in the final in Elche; the goals were scored by Walter Pandiani and Samuel Eto'o (two).

2010s: Decline and return

Panor mica de Son Moix (569234728)
Estadi Mallorca Son Moix

Mallorca was relegated from La Liga on the last day of the 2012–13 season. In January 2016, with the team at risk of relegation to the third tier, American investor Robert Sarver and former NBA player Steve Nash bought the club for just over €20 million.

On 4 June 2017, Mallorca fell into the third tier for the first time since 1981, with one game of the season still to play. A year later, they bounced back in the 2017–18 season after winning the play-off final against CF Rayo Majadahonda, under new manager Vicente Moreno. In June 2019, Mallorca secured a second consecutive promotion to the 2019–20 La Liga, following a 3–2 win on aggregate over Deportivo de La Coruña in the 2019 Segunda División play-offs – having lost the first game 2–0. However, they were relegated a year later. A year later, Mallorca bounced back to the top tier following an Almería defeat to Cartagena. In 2024, Mallorca reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since last winning the competition in 2003.

Season to season

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1931–32 3 4th Round of 32
1932–33 4 Regional 2nd Did not play
1933–34 4 Regional 4th DNP
1934–35 4 Regional 3rd DNP
1935–36 4 Regional 1st Second round
1939–40 2 7th DNP
1940–41 4 1ª Reg. 2nd DNP
1941–42 4 1ª Reg. 1st DNP
1942–43 4 1ª Reg. 1st DNP
1943–44 3 1st Round of 32
1944–45 2 11th First round
1945–46 2 8th First round
1946–47 2 5th First round
1947–48 2 13th Fifth round
1948–49 3 3rd Fifth round
1949–50 2 11th Round of 16
1950–51 2 12th DNP
1951–52 2 6th DNP
1952–53 2 8th Second round
1953–54 2 16th DNP
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1954–55 3 1st DNP
1955–56 3 2nd DNP
1956–57 3 1st DNP
1957–58 3 1st DNP
1958–59 3 1st DNP
1959–60 2 1st Quarter-finals
1960–61 1 9th Round of 16
1961–62 1 11th Round of 16
1962–63 1 13th Round of 32
1963–64 2 3rd Round of 32
1964–65 2 1st Round of 16
1965–66 1 15th Round of 16
1966–67 2 5th Round of 32
1967–68 2 4th First round
1968–69 2 3rd DNP
1969–70 1 15th Round of 32
1970–71 2 9th Round of 32
1971–72 2 12th Fourth round
1972–73 2 10th Fourth round
1973–74 2 11th Third round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1974–75 2 17th Round of 32
1975–76 3 9th First round
1976–77 3 3rd Second round
1977–78 3 2ª B 18th First round
1978–79 4 13th DNP
1979–80 4 1st Third round
1980–81 3 2ª B 1st Third round
1981–82 2 6th Fourth round
1982–83 2 3rd Fourth round
1983–84 1 17th Third round
1984–85 2 7th Round of 16
1985–86 2 3rd Fourth round
1986–87 1 6th Quarter-finals
1987–88 1 18th Round of 32
1988–89 2 4th Quarter-finals
1989–90 1 10th First round
1990–91 1 15th Runners-up
1991–92 1 20th Fourth round
1992–93 2 4th Round of 16
1993–94 2 5th Third round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1994–95 2 12th Quarter-finals
1995–96 2 3rd Second round
1996–97 2 3rd Second round
1997–98 1 5th Runners-up
1998–99 1 3rd Quarter-finals
1999–2000 1 10th Second round
2000–01 1 3rd Quarter-finals
2001–02 1 16th Round of 16
2002–03 1 9th Winners
2003–04 1 11th Round of 32
2004–05 1 17th Round of 32
2005–06 1 13th Third round
2006–07 1 12th Round of 16
2007–08 1 7th Quarter-finals
2008–09 1 9th Semi-finals
2009–10 1 5th Quarter-finals
2010–11 1 17th Round of 16
2011–12 1 8th Quarter-finals
2012–13 1 18th Round of 16
2013–14 2 17th Second round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2014–15 2 16th Second round
2015–16 2 17th Second round
2016–17 2 20th Third round
2017–18 3 2ª B 1st Second round
2018–19 2 5th Round of 32
2019–20 1 19th Round of 32
2020–21 2 2nd Second Round
2021–22 1 16th Quarter-finals
2022–23 1 9th Round of 16
2023–24 1 Runners-up

Players

Current squad

No. Position Player
1 Serbia GK Predrag Rajković
2 Serbia DF Matija Nastasić
3 Spain DF Toni Lato
4 Belgium DF Siebe Van der Heyden
5 Spain MF Omar Mascarell
6 Spain DF José Manuel Copete
7 Kosovo FW Vedat Muriqi
8 Spain MF Manu Morlanes
9 Spain FW Abdón Prats
10 Spain MF Sergi Darder
11 Spain DF Jaume Costa
12 Portugal MF Samú Costa
No. Position Player
13 Slovakia GK Dominik Greif
14 Spain MF Dani Rodríguez (vice-captain)
15 Spain DF Pablo Maffeo
17 Canada FW Cyle Larin
18 Spain MF Antonio Sánchez
19 Spain FW Javi Llabrés
20 Uruguay DF Giovanni González
21 Spain DF Antonio Raíllo (captain)
22 Spain DF Nacho Vidal (on loan from Osasuna)
23 Serbia FW Nemanja Radonjić (on loan from Torino)
24 Slovakia DF Martin Valjent (3rd captain)
25 Spain GK Iván Cuéllar

Reserve team

No. Position Player
26 Spain MF Rubén Quintanilla
29 Spain DF Miguelito
31 Spain DF Yuzún Ley
32 Spain DF Marcos Fernández
No. Position Player
34 Spain FW Pau Mascaró
36 Spain GK Alex Quevedo
37 Spain DF Carles Sogorb

Out on loan

No. Position Player
Spain GK Leo Román (at Oviedo until 30 June 2024)
Spain GK Pere García (at Sestao River until 30 June 2024)
Spain DF David López (at Elche until 30 June 2024)
Spain DF Josep Gayá (at Amorebieta until 30 June 2024)
No. Position Player
Ghana MF Iddrisu Baba (at Almería until 30 June 2024)
Colombia MF Daniel Luna (at Mirandés until 30 June 2024)
Senegal FW Amath Ndiaye (at Valladolid until 30 June 2024)

Management and staff

Technical staff

Position Staff
Head coach Mexico Javier Aguirre
Assistant coach Spain Toni Amor
Goalkeeping coach Spain Luisvi de Miguel
Fitness coach Spain Pol Lorente
Spain Miguel Artigues
Analysts Spain Francisco Cano
Spain Xim López
Delegate Spain Chando
Spain Anabel Soto
Kit man Spain José Martín
Spain Aitor Hernández
Head of medical staff Spain Adolfo Muñoz
Nutritionist Spain Nuria Granados
Physiotherapist Spain Joana Maria Seguí
Spain Magí Vicens
Spain Tomeu Llabrés
Spain Javier Escobar
Spain Ferran Rosselló
Rehab fitness coach Spain Christian Castilla

Last updated: 1 September 2021
Source: [1]

Board of directors

President: Andy Kohlberg

Board of Directors Member: Robert Sarver

Board of Directors Member: Steve Nash

Board of Directors Member: Graeme Le Saux

Board of Directors Member: Utz Claassen

Honorary Secretary: Rosemary Mafuz

Sports directors

Football Director: Joe Metcalf

Steering committee

CFO: Steve Washington

Head of Sales & Marketing: Phillip Tisdell

Legality Department: Waylon Wilkinson Jr.

Head of Communications: Stan Cooper

Ticketing & Social area: Charity Donalds

Presidents

Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII Football Club

  • Adolfo Vázquez Humasqué (1916)
  • Antoni Moner (1916–19)
  • Josep Ramis d'Ayreflor (1919–24)
  • Antoni Moner (1924–26)
  • Lluís Sitjar (1926–27)
  • Sebastià Sancho (1927)
  • Manuel Villalonga (1927–29)
  • Josep Ramis d'Ayreflor / Sebastià Sancho (1929–30)
  • Antonio Parietti / Lluís Sitjar (1930–31)

Club Deportivo Mallorca

  • Lluís Sitjar / Josep Sancho / Ramón Cavaller (1931–32)
  • Miquel Seguí (1932–34)
  • Llorenç Lladó / Andreu Homar (1934–35)
  • Andreu Homar (1935–43)
  • Lluís Sitjar (1943–46)
  • Félix Pons Marqués (1946–47)

Real Club Deportivo Mallorca

  • Joaquín Fuster / Andreu Homar / Joan de Vidal (1948–51)
  • Antoni Buades / Josep Tous (1951)
  • Antoni Buades / José María del Valle (1952)
  • Llorenç Munar (1955)
  • Jaume Rosselló (1956–61)
  • Llorenç Munar (1961)
  • Joan de Vidal (1964–66)
  • Josep Barona (1966–67)
  • Josep Barona / Pau Servera (1967–68)
  • Pau Servera / Guillem Ginard (1969–70)
  • Guillem Ginard / Josep Fandós (1970–71)
  • Josep Fandós (1971–72)
  • Joan de Vidal (1972–74)
  • Joan de Vidal / Antoni Seguí (1974–75)
  • Antonio Seguí / Joan Ferrer (1975–76)
  • Guillem Ginard (1976-77)
  • Guillem Ginard / Miquel Contestí (1977–78)
  • Miquel Contestí (1978–92)
  • Miquel Dalmau (1992–95)
  • Bartomeu Beltrán (1995–98)
  • Guillem Reynés (1998–00)
  • Mateu Alemany (2000–05)
  • Vicenç Grande (2005–08)
  • Mateu Alemany (2008–09)
  • Tomeu Vidal (2009–10)
  • Josep Maria Pons (2010)
  • Jaume Cladera (2010–12)

Honours

Domestic competitions

  • Copa del Rey
    • Winners (1): 2002–03
    • Runners-up (3): 1990–91, 1997–98, 2023–24

International competitions

Records

Team

  • Best La Liga position: Third (1998–99, 2000–01)
  • Record La Liga win: 7–1 v Recreativo de Huelva (h), 9 March 2008
  • Record La Liga defeat: 7–0 v Atlético Madrid (a), 7 Feb 1988
  • Fastest goal: 22 seconds - Spain Dani García v Real Oviedo, 21 Feb 1999.
  • Most goals scored in a season: 69 (2007–08)

Individual

Notable players

Most appearances

# Name Matches
Spain Miguel Ángel Nadal 255
Portugal José Nunes 222
Spain Javier Olaizola 206
Argentina Ariel Ibagaza 204
Spain Víctor Casadesús 197
Venezuela Juan Arango 183
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Jovan Stanković 175
Spain Marcos 171
Spain Paco Soler 168
10° Israel Dudu Aouate 167
11° Spain Iván Ramis 164
12° Spain José Luis Martí 161

Top scorers

# Name Goals
Cameroon Samuel Eto'o 70
Spain Abdon Prats 52
Venezuela Juan Arango 46
Spain Víctor Casadesús 37
Spain Daniel Güiza 28
Cameroon Pierre Webó 27
Kosovo Vedat Muriqi 26
  • Pichichi Trophy
    • La Liga
      • Spain Daniel Güiza – 27 (2007–08)
  • Ricardo Zamora Trophy

World Cup players

The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup Finals, while playing for Mallorca.

Club information

  • Members: 12,107 (2020–21)
  • Total Attendance in La Liga: 205,828 (2019–20)
  • Average Attendance: 10,836 Spectators (2019–20)
  • Official shirt manufacturer: Nike
  • Official shirt sponsors: αGEL
  • Other sponsors: Coca-Cola, CaixaBank, Estrella Damm, PayPal, Fibwi, juaneda, Air Europa, Specialized Bicycle Components, okmobility, Alua Hotels & Resorts

Stadium information

  • Name – Visit Mallorca Stadium
  • CityPalma de Mallorca
  • Capacity – 23,142
  • Inauguration – June 1999
  • Pitch size – 107 m x 69 m
  • Other Facilities: – Antonio Asensio Sports Complex (aka "Son Bibiloni")
  • Google Maps LocationVisit Mallorca Stadium
LTU A320 D-ALTD 20060424 STR 800x533
The team plane, needed due to the club's island location

Affiliated teams

  • Spain RCD Mallorca B - Reserve team

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Real Club Deportivo Mallorca para niños

kids search engine
RCD Mallorca Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.