After a week when I’ve just finished reading an enthralling book about clearing autumn leaves – written by RAY KING! – Real Mallorca reach match day 10 of season 25/26 with a home game against Valencia side Levante on Sunday (26th) at 14:00. The visitors were second division champions last season and are level with Mallorca on eight points.
Levante lost 0-3 to Rayo Vallecano last weekend and their good start to the season has all but disappeared. This is another crucial game for Mallorca as a win on Sunday would move the team into the middle of La Liga. Three points would see us win back to back games for the first time since last November and December.
Last Saturday’s 1-3 win in Sevilla (the first time we’ve scored three since we beat Las Palmas 2-3 last November) was brilliant and unexpected from every perspective, one of which was surely our (on loan from Leeds United) striker Mateo Joseph got himself on the scoresheet with two humdingers. The same goes for Vedat Muriqi who now has five goals and lies joint third in the “pichichi” leading goalscorers in La Liga. This is El Pirata’s best start to a season since he pulled on a Real Mallorca red jersey in 2022. If he scores on Sunday that will be his 40th goal for “Los Bermellones.”
At the start of the season and until just a few weeks ago, our forward line looked to be underperforming but the recent form of Muriqi, Mateo Joseph and Asano has seen these three score eight of our 10 goals. However, the one that has surely made all the difference is 19-year-old left winger Jan Virgili. This young man, in my opinion, is just sensational and he’s already demonstrating what he can do when it comes to laying on goal chances. Against Sevilla, he provided the killer pass for Muriqi’s equalising goal and he was a pain in the “culo” for the home side’s defence all game. Even after playing just a few games, he has captivated the home fans.
The 19-year-old, who comes from Vilassar de Mar near Tarragona is as I said in the Summer – box office. He’s a player capable of dribbling past static defenders, which gets the crowd off their feet.
Not since Kang In Lee departed these island shores for Paris have we had a player capable of being a threat every time he gets the ball and at times he’s simply unplayable. Of course, some people are questioning whether the teenager should shoulder so much responsibility at such a young age.
In the 2019/20 season the emergence of a barely 18-year-old Japanese player called Take Kubo was decisive for the Mallorca cause under Vicente Moreno. Back then, Kubo won over the fans with his elegant footwork and his personality. Indeed he exploded on the Son Moix and his trickery pulled in at least two or three thousand more fans, many of them from the Land of the Rising Sun.
In the current situation with another exciting teenager taking the limelight, coach Arrasate must be brave and fearlessly back the Catalan winger to the hilt.
One player us fans are still waiting for the best version of is 20-year-old Pablo Torre. He joined us from Barcelona this Summer after some tough negotiations. On paper we were signing one of the most charismatic players on the national scene who was gifted with great technical ability and a regular in the Spanish Under 21 set up. Nine games into the campaign and his performances haven’t been what we expected. According to reports his physical condition is causing concern and he hasn’t started our last two games. We paid 5 million for the Santander-born creative midfielder and I’m sure fans and coaching staff have complete faith in his capabilities.
Mallorca play a Copa del Rey match on Wednesday night against Catalan outfit Sant Just on the outskirts of Barcelona. They were only founded in 2010 and this is the first time they’ve faced a Premier side. The tie has been moved to L’Hospitalet’s stadium as San Just’s tiny ground didn’t meet the minimum capacity or lighting requirements.
LARIN COMES UP EMPTY: Mallorca’s Canadian striker Cyle Larin was loaned out to Dutch giants Feyenoord in the Summer and has been an utter disaster in Rotterdam and beyond. His record so far at Feyenoord is a catastrophic one assist. He’s played 63 minutes in three Eredivisie games and even lost his place in the Canadian national side.
This means that Feyenoord coach Robin van Persie will most likely release him next May and we’ll get him back again. Larin has a contract here until 2028 with a salary exceeding four million euros gross. His downward spiral is very difficult to explain. I mean who wants a striker who hasn’t scored since May 18, and that was a tap in? Once again Mallorca look like they’ll have to find another destination next Summer for a so-called striker who can’t score goals!
AND FINALLY, Two women meet in the afterlife and start a conversation. 1st woman: “Hi, my name is Wanda.” 2nd woman: “Hi, my name is Sylvia. How did you die ?” Wanda tells her “I froze to death – hyperthermia.” Sylvia replies “OMG, how horrible.” Wanda goes on “Actually it wasn’t so bad, after I stopped shaking with cold, I began to get warm and sleepy and finally died a peaceful death. How about you ? How did you end up here?”
Sylvia explains “I died of a heart attack. I suspected my husband was cheating on me so I came home early to catch him on the job, but instead I found him in the lounge all by himself watching the telly.
“I was so sure there was another woman hiding in the house somewhere that I started running all over the place looking for her. I ran upstairs, into the attic, then down into the basement, to no avail. Then I looked in cupboards, under beds, checked under the stairs – nothing. Finally I was so exhausted that I keeled over and died.” Wanda comments “Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer, we’d both still be alive now!”