There is a certain buzz around Majorca at the moment and for once the conversations in local bars are about Real Mallorca and not Barcelona or Real Madrid. It is that time when everyone becomes a Real Mallorca fan because the local team are two games away from the Spanish First Division. The climax is on Sunday and Mallorca could be back where they belong after years in the wilderness. Full marks to the team; in two seasons they have gone from the "Conference league" to being at the gates of the first division. Quite an achievement for a club with limited resources. But let's remember that Mallorca have been there before; they played Champions League football and reached the final of the Cup Winners' Cup.
The years in the football wilderness have been hard for the club and their supporters. Two years ago it had appeared that Mallorca might disappear in its present form after relegation from the second division. Those fears have now been forgotten and the local club are back on course. Win or lose over the next two matches, it is still a fantastic achievement and local fans should be proud. First Division football will also go a long way to resolving the club's pressing financial problems with more television revenue and obviously bigger gates. The American owners of the club also deserve praise. They have stuck with Mallorca through thick and thin and are now close to realising their dream of top-flight football.