It certainly was a Super Saturday last week. My sons team won 4-0, Arsenal won 2-1 to go top of the League, albeit for a couple of hours and it couldn’t have gone any better for Real Mallorca on their return to La Liga winning 2-1.

I said last week that the squad although lacking in experience had a togetherness built up through the campaign last season and that definitely showed last weekend. Even the 2 players that came in, in the summer Agbenyenu and Febas didn’t look out of place. Outstanding contributions for me from Dani Rodriguez, who scored within 4 minutes and Baba who continued his play-off form from last season. They showed that they can mix it in the bigger league. They’ll be tougher tests to come I’m sure but it was a result to be celebrated amongst the 15,127 who were very happy at the end. Another home game this weekend against Real Sociedad who had a good draw away in Valencia last week. A win would be great but a draw and 4 points from 2 games would still be a great start. Added to the squad this week are on paper and what I’ve seen online two very exciting signings. Firstly Takefusa Kubo signed on a season long loan from Real Madrid. An exciting young talent nicknamed “the Japanese Messi” whose impressed in pre-season and whilst training with the Real Madrid first team. Also French midfield player Yannis Salibur signed a three year deal from French Club En Avant de Guingamp. He nearly signed for Hull in 2017 and spent last season on loan at St Etienne.

This weekend sees the start of a new season for our other professional football club on the island, Atletico Baleares. After the huge disappointment of missing out on the play-offs not once but twice last year, its a year of rebuilding both on and off the pitch. Probably most importantly like Mallorca they kept their Manager Manix Mandiola, since taking over in February 2018 they’ve only lost 10 of his 58 games in charge. The squad has been overhauled and it’s a shame that the player I interviewed earlier in the year Sam Shashoua went back to Tottenham. I learned yesterday that he has now left Spurs and signed for Tenerife who play in La Liga 123. Back to Baleares and this week they’ve brought in a Scottish U21 International called Jordan Holsgrove from Reading for a weeks training with a view to a move. The other big change is their move from Son Malferit back to their old ground the Estadi Balear. They’ve invested heavily in the pitch and the main stand and it’s already paying off as like Mallorca they’ve sold out their quota of season tickets, 2,300. They have seats for 2,751 at the end of the first phase of their reform, the difference they will sell to away fans and home fans on the day. Their final objective is to reach 6,500. They begin their campaign away against UP Langreo in Asturias who finished 9th in their Segunda B group last season. Although I’m a Real Mallorca fan I understand how important it is to have both our island sides doing well. For the local economy on the one hand and as I have 2 sons who play football the opportunities to play at a higher level are improved too. I will definitely take in a couple of games with the boys when I can.

My Son Jakes team continued their unbeaten start in pre-season with a 4-0 win last weekend. He scored the first with his right foot which is a rarity, even the coach couldn’t believe it. Bit of an early start for Dad Taxi this Sunday a 09.30 kick-off means we need to be in Palma by 08.30. My youngest Jude starts his pre-season next week at the same club as Jake, San Francisco. I want to say a big thank you to all the gang at the Shambhala Gym in Santa Ponsa. As you know I’ve been training there but the boys have been boxing training there too in readiness for the football season and with their help the boys fitness has greatly improved.

The official title for Bond 25 has been revealed, the upcoming movie, which will be Daniel Craig’s last outing as the iconic British spy, will be called No Time To Die. A tweet shared on the official 007 Twitter account confirmed both the new title and release date. The film will arrive in cinemas on April 3rd 2020 in the UK and April 8th in the US.

Dua Lipa, the chart-topping musician responsible for hits like New Rules and IDGAF, is currently the favourite with bookmakers to sing the theme tune.

A source said: “Dua Lipa is one of the hottest stars at the moment and we think she would be nigh on perfect for the role of performing the theme for Bond 25.”

George Ezra and Callum Scott have odds of 2/1 and 3/1 respectively, with Beyonce at 6/1. The Rag ‘N’ Bone Man is 10/1 and Ed Sheeran 12/1.

The best joke at the Edinburgh Fringe has been named as a vegetable pun which beat the comic competition. This festival dates back to 1947, it’s always in the month of August and it finishes this bank holiday weekend.

Festival veteran Olaf Falafel from Sweden claimed the coveted honour of the Funniest Joke At The Fringe.

It was deemed the best gag by 2000 voting members of the public, after being shortlisted by an expert panel.

1 Olaf Falafel

“I keep randomly shouting out ‘Broccoli’ and ‘Cauliflower’ – I think I might have Florets.”

2 Richard Stott

“Someone stole my antidepressants. Whoever they are, I hope they’re happy.”

3 Milton Jones

“What’s driving Brexit? From here it looks like it’s probably the Duke of Edinburgh.”

4 Jake Lambert

“A cowboy asked me if I could help him round up 18 cows. I said, ‘Yes, of course. That’s 20 cows’.”

5 Ross Smith

“A thesaurus is great. There’s no other word for it.”

6 Ross Smith

“Sleep is my favourite thing in the world. It’s the reason I get up in the morning.”

7 Adele Cliff

“I accidentally booked myself onto an escapology course; I’m really struggling to get out of it.”

8 Richard Pulsford

“After learning six hours of basic semaphore, I was flagging.”

9 Mark Simmons

“To be or not to be a horse rider, that is equestrian.”

10 Ivo Graham

“I’ve got an Eton-themed Advent calendar, where all the doors are opened for me by my dad’s contacts.”

Despite finishing a few weeks ago Love Island and its contestants are still in the news. We’ve had a few of them return to the island this season at Pirates and Gringos and it’s no surprise that the shows have been sellouts. Last week we had Curtis in at Gringos and he was great fun even showing off his ballroom dance skills. Next Wednesday in Reloaded, Molly Mae will be joining us. She finished second in the series so it’s sure to be a busy night. You can meet her and enjoy an amazing show by booking online at http://www.piratesreloaded.com or calling (0034) 971 130411

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

This weekend Real Mallorca start their La Liga campaign. To think that only 2 years ago they were kicking off in Segunda B against CF Peralada with barely 1,000 people watching and now they are back in the big time. Four players who started that day should be in the starting line up against Eibar this Saturday. Reina, Raillo, Sastre and Lago Junior are the only surviving members from that first game which Mallorca won 1-0. It’s been a fairytale couple of years with back to back promotions and now the serious business starts. What can we expect to happen? The first year has to be about survival. I’d be happy with 17th but I’m sure the aim is to finish higher. Winning your homes games is vitally important as Mallorca showed last season. They won 15 of their 21 games at home only losing 2 and that was their springboard to the play-offs. In contrast they were awful away, winning just 4 games. The jury is also out on the squad who don’t have much La Liga experience but will be living off the spirit and camaraderie built up through last season. They can thank the Manager Vincente Moreno for that, he and his team have done an amazing job and together they delivered his ambition to manage in the big league. To be honest they have a chance to get off to a decent start with back to back home games. This Saturday against Eibar and next Sunday against Real Sociedad. Both had decent seasons last year finishing 9th and 12th respectively. However Eibar only won away twice last season and Sociedad six times so six or even 4 points from those two games would give the club a huge lift.

Kick-off is 8pm at the Son Moix and me and the boys are really looking forward to it. If you’re not able to get to the games there’s good news. ITV have announced they will broadcast three La Liga matches live on ITV4 at the start of the new season. The broadcaster showed live top-flight Spanish matches at the end of last season after previous rights holders Eleven Sports cut short their agreement. They will also show weekly La Liga highlights throughout the season on both ITV and ITV4.

Live coverage began with Barcelona’s trip to Athletic Bilbao last night. A spectacular goal in the last couple of minutes from former Mallorca player Aduriz gave Bilbao a 1-0 victory. Barcelona are very ordinary without Messi and also lost Suarez through injury so not a great start for last year’s Champions.

Barcelona’s first home game against Real Betis on the 25th August will also be shown live, before Real Madrid’s trip to Villarreal is aired on the following weekend. Apparently there are negotiations ongoing between La Liga and ITV for the broadcast of live matches throughout the rest of the season.

My eldest Jake started his pre-season last weekend so Dad Taxi made a return with an early start to be in Binnisalem by 08.30. Its good to get back on the road and watching football again. I love travelling around the island and going to different places, it makes you appreciate what a beautiful island we live on.

I think it’s great to get your kids doing things, not quite sure about this one though? Daniel Rose-Levine, 16, holds the Guinness World Record for solving a Rubik’s cube with, wait for it, his feet! The American teen can do it in 16.9 seconds, or as long as it takes some people to put on shoes and lace them up.

He’d mastered the cube with his hands aged just 11 by studying endless You Tube videos. His best time is just 5.3 seconds, with the current World Record at 3.47 seconds held by Yusheng Du from China.

We’re getting used to hearing stories about younger people growing up and doing things different to how we did. But this one took me by surprise this week.

A Scottish university announced it is shutting its union bar.

Dundee-based Abertay University says student tastes are moving away from drinking and there is no longer enough demand for alcohol.

Income at the bar is said to have ‘dropped drastically’ in recent years as many students now prefer afternoon lunch and coffees to cut-price pints and shots.

It comes as a recent survey by the National Union of Students revealed one in five UK students are teetotal while demand for alcohol-free university events is rising. Times are changing.

This Saturday really is a Super Saturday. My Son plays a friendly Saturday morning, Arsenal play Burnley Saturday lunchtime and Real Mallorca play Saturday evening. The Wife is over the moon as you can imagine, well over the moon that she’s getting rid of us for most of the day.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

August is upon us, the month where the roads are jam packed, you can’t park anywhere and trying to get a restaurant reservation is nigh on impossible. For those of us who work in the tourist industry it’s heads down and look forward to September.

We took the opportunity last weekend to leave the island and take a trip to Barcelona. We love the city but when we found out Arsenal were playing there in a pre-season game we had to go. Well my Wife had to be persuaded with a promised tapas bar visit and that we would stay in a hotel and not on the airport floor like last time when we saw Queen live with Adam Lambert!

Ryanair played their old chestnut game, by not buying a seat they tell you “there’s a chance you won’t be sat together” change that to “there’s absolutely no chance you’ll be sat together and we’ll put you in the worst middle seats”. Sure enough we ended up going with 4E, 5B, 5E and 31B and coming back with 3B, 5B, 30B and 31B! You couldn’t make it up. Anyway it’s only half an hour so no worries.

The tapas restaurant didn’t disappoint as always, it’s called Cervecería Catalana by the way in Calle Mallorca, so easy to remember. We made our way to the stadium by Metro which we’d never done before. We bought a ticket that covered 10 journeys which covered going for all of us and going back and was just 10.65€. Fairly easy to understand too once you get your bearings. The game was for the Juan Camper trophy a traditional beginning of season game they play every year. The whole of the Barcelona team was introduced to their fans and no surprise who got the biggest cheer. Messi is God in these parts and unfortunately(or fortunately) for us he didn’t get on. Rest after the Copa America was the official line, although he’d been out partying in Ibiza last week.

It was totally full with 98,000 fans and the game was going well at 1-0 to the Arsenal until we decided to score an own goal with 20 minutes to go and the man that we once bid £40 million plus a penny for, Luis Suarez scored in the final minute. Still a great day out and the boys loved it.

Real Mallorca play their final warm up game this weekend when they play in the Trofeo Cuitat de Palma against La Liga side Levante. It’s their traditional beginning of season game where they like Barcelona did present their team to the fans. The club have sold their full quota of season tickets, 16,125, they need  to keep 20% of seats back for visiting fans.

Whilst I have sympathy with people especially friends who couldn’t get season tickets for Real Mallorca. Where were you 2 years ago when we were in 2B? You might want to watch Barcelona but you chose not watch us on a cold January day against Atletico Saguntino!

This is the time of year that Fantasy Football leagues are popular, we have a similar thing on the radio where we predict the Premier League scores. Some of the names people come up with are great.

Lallanas in Pyjamas

Lads on Toure

We’re Going Toulouse

Pjanic at the Disco

Moyes N The Hood

Chamakh My Pitch Up

Deeney in a Bottle

You Kante Be Serious?

Woo Woo That’s The Sound of Nampalys

Neville Wears Prada

Absolutely Fabregas

Pathetico Madrid

Klopps and Robbers

Le Saux Solid Crew

Knowing me, knowing you…Zaha

And my favourite in our league There’s only 1 F in Fulham.

To join us in our Radio One Mallorca mini-league, follow these 3 easy steps: 

1. Register or log-in at IKTS (https://iknowthescore.co.uk/) 

2. Join the Premier League 2019/20 game 

3. Click on Mini-Leagues in the menu and enter the following code: k533d 

My favourite football story of the week was the match between Tiptree Engaine FC and Stanway Rovers Reserves. The referee failed to show up so a replacement was found from the gathered supporters. He was a qualified referee but the only problem was he had no whistle. The only thing they could find was a toddlers harmonica! I’ve seen the footage online and it’s hilarious when he blows as every time it’s a different note. Would love to see that in the Premier League this weekend.

On my radio show every day I do a fascinating fact and this was a good one this week. Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen contains the famous “mamma mia, mamma mia, mamma mia let me go” line. In January 1976, it was knocked off the No.1 position on the UK chart by Abba’s ‘Mamma Mia’.

Dad Taxi returns this weekend with an early morning trip to Binnisalem as my eldest starts his pre-season games.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

The Uk is in meltdown with the high temperatures, welcome to our World!

Top tips for a good nights sleep are.

Don’t Nap during the day.

Try and keep your bedroom as cool as possible.

Use cotton sheets.

Keep hydrated during the day preferably with water!

If you can’t sleep try reading, don’t use your phone or iPad.

The more bizarre ones I’ve heard are, sleeping on a damp towel, putting pillow cases in the freezer and apply ice packs to pulse points like wrists, neck, elbows, ankles, behind the knees and groin! That last one sounds a bit extreme.

We have just launched our Radio One Mallorca Predictor League where me and the Bookie do our predictions every Thursday before the Premier League Weekend. I got this email from the organisers this week which I am passing on to you. Richie thinks he is good at predicting Premier League scores and has invited you to compete with him each week of the season in the Radio One Mallorca mini-league, powered by IKTS. 

You have dealt with his chat on the radio for years and now is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are the one who knows what your talking about. Win this league and have eternal bragging rights…or just have fun through the season as you try and predict what’s going to happen each week. 

To join Richie in Radio One Mallorca mini-league, follow these 3 easy steps: 

1. Register or log-in at IKTS (https://iknowthescore.co.uk/) 

2. Join the Premier League 2019/20 game 

3. Click on Mini-Leagues in the menu and enter the following code: k533d 

To be honest I’m rubbish as I let my heart rule my head and never back the other team from North London to win even if they are nailed on. So come and join for a bit of fun.

With just two weeks before the season starts, fans start to look for the new shirts that their teams will be wearing. If you’ve got kids then you know that it’s virtually impossible to not buy the new kit. So here’s what it’s going to set you back this year.

Man City: £65

Newcastle: £65

The other team from North London: £65

Chelsea: £64.95

Man Utd: £64.95

Arsenal: £60

Liverpool: £59.99

Aston Villa: £55

Everton: £55

Leicester: £55

Southampton: £55

Sheffield Utd: £55

Watford: £55

West Ham: £55

Wolves: £55

Brighton: £52

Bournemouth: £50

Norwich: £50

Crystal Palace: £49.99

Burnley: £45

A quick message to my club. Dear Arsenalas both my Sons love the new kit I’d like to negotiate a deal as I’m working to a non watching Champions League budget. Can I pay £5.00 now, another £5.00 in a years time & the rest based on results?

Now you know why football clubs can pay their players their players such extortionate amounts of money. Talking of which, a couple of years ago we were in Minorca with my Son at a football tournament. We watched an under 15 Barcelona team who had a player playing called Xavi Simmons playing for them. Even at that age they had him earmarked for the first team. However this week I learned that he’d left Barcelona and joined PSG. Remember he’s just 16 years of age, he has 1.7 million followers on Instagram and apparently he turned down €100,000 a year to stay in Barcelona. Why? Because PSG offered €1 million!

Premier Inn has revealed some of the more unusual items to have been left in their hotels with phone chargers, toiletries and teddy bears among the usual items left.

These were some of the more unusual things left behind.

A glass slipper

A goldfish, later nicknamed Bob and adopted by a team member

A historic WWII gas mask

A box containing 50+ brand new suit ties

A pageant queen tiara

A wedding veil

Kim Kardashian-style padded underwear

A huge family portrait, proudly displayed on the wall

Christmas trees

It’s my youngest son Jude’s birthday today, where he reaches double figures of 10 years. We asked him where he wanted to celebrate and he chose Pirates which he loves. Obviously helps when your Dad works there. But as there’s no family show on a Saturday and he’s not yet old enough for the adults only show we asked him if he wanted to go for a meal tonight. So where does a 10 year old go to eat? Well if your my Son there’s no contest, we’re off to Genova and the roof terrace at Can Pedro. It’s a regular for us so we’re really looking forward to it.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

Remember I finished last week by asking how about putting a fat fella into Love Island? Well I got the closest I’ll ever get this week by meeting up with Arabella and Tom at the Pirates Reloaded Show.  They were dumped out of the Love Shack two weeks ago and although I’m not watching it, they were friendly and happy to pose for photos. In case you didn’t know already the hit dating show will come to an end on July 29th, when the couples will make their declarations of love to each other and fans will pick the winning pair.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been contacted by old friends who’ve asked me to be a contact and keep an eye out on their sons and daughters when they come to the island on holiday. Yes I know I’m older than I look but Naturally I’m happy to do so and with that in mind it was really interesting to meet and interview on the radio this week Lloyd Milen the British Consul General for Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Aragon & Andorra and Lucy Gorman the Vice Consul to the Balearics. They were presenting the FCO led Worldwide campaign called “Stickwithyourmates” aimed at young tourists, in particular those visiting popular resorts such as Magalluf, the campaign focuses on how looking after each other and staying with your friends can help young people avoid accidents and serious injuries on holiday. Research carried out last year shows that the vast majority of fatal incidents and hospitalisations happen when people are on their own, having been separated from their friends.

The advice includes: Checking into your hotel on social media, so it’s easier to find at the end of the night; Setting up a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other; Keeping an eye on each other’s drinks to make sure they don’t get spiked; Not letting a friend walk back to the hotel alone; Not giving a drunk person more alcohol. The campaign is focused on You Tube, Facebook and Instagram. I was aware of this campaign a few weeks ago, so i used it for the guys that came over and they all found it very useful.

A few problems at Real Mallorca on Monday when the computer system overheated and they couldn’t cope with the amount of people wanting to renew their tickets. I’ve left it all to calm down before I go. Season ticket holders have until the 7th of August to renew and as from the 8th new applications will be taken. They will play Levante on Saturday August 10th at 21.00 in the Trofeu Cuitat de Palma the traditional beginning of season game and they will host Éibar the following week at the start of La Liga.

Amanda O’Riordan does a fashion slot on my Breakfast Show called Amandazipsitup. Amanda is married to a guy called Julius O’Riordan who you might know as the DJ Judge Jules. Me and Jules have a few things in common, born in the same year, we both support Arsenal, we have a place in Mallorca and we both DJ(well me of sorts) and that’s where it ends for me anyway. As he is universally known for his music with gigs all over the World and he is an entertainment lawyer by day. Every now and then they’ll pop round mine to watch the Arsenal or into the studio for an interview. They’re a great friendly couple who love Mallorca. It was announced this week that he will be appearing on Celebrity MasterChef. Now he may have a slight advantage as his Uncle is none other than the king of seafood Rick Stein! We’ve asked if he’ll come into the studio to spin some pots and pans instead of records. So watch this space.

Researchers have found two thirds of us are self-confessed ‘shower multi-taskers’ who take the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and get something else done amid the cascading water. So below are our Top 20 shower tasks.

1. Sing along to some music

2. Clean the shower/bath area

3. Shave

4. Brush your teeth

5. Do a wee

6. Have sex

7. Make a life changing decision

8. Have a dance

9. Take a phone call

10. Wash an item of clothing

11. Do some exercise

12. Do some stretching/yoga exercises

13. Listen to an audiobook

14. Have a beer

15. Watch a TV show on a tablet

16. Have a cup of coffee

17. Have a cup of tea

18. Wash a pet

19. Eat a biscuit

20. Go on social media

I worked out I’ve done 8 out of 20. There’s some strange ones in there, like eat a biscuit, who does that?

Definitely a Super Sunday of Sport with England playing New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup Final, The British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the Men’s Singles final of Wimbledon.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

Last weekend we got off the island to go back to the UK which was a relief as the temperatures here were touching 40c. We were looking forward to cooler temperatures and even a bit of rain. As we landed we were greeted by the hottest weekend so far this year. Now I might have been away too long but in my opinion the UK just isn’t built for heat. If you live near the coast then maybe that’s not so true but we were as central as you could be and the heat was unbearable.

Our mood wasn’t brightened after we saw the pick up charges at Luton airport, it’s £4.00 for 13 minutes, not 10, not 15 but 13, seriously unlucky for everyone, who came up with that number? And I thought Dick Turpin was dead as £4.00 is total daylight robbery. Not only that it’s then £1.00 every minute after that! No wonder they’re going through a big reform, we’re paying for it by the look of it. Will they send me the shares?

Leaving all that aside it was great to see all our family and friends and also good to see it looking so green. We only normally go back in the winter months when it’s cold and grey, forgetting the heat the countryside is beautiful in the summer.

Those of you thinking that you’d like to move away from the UK might be interested in this. A survey has shown that 13% of Britons would choose Spain over any other country to move to. The research follows news that Spain holidays are still the number one breakof choice for thousands of Britons.

Analysis of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) air travel figures showed nearly over 6,736,632 visitors flew to Spain in 1994 – roughly 5,000,000 more than any other country. 

In 2018, 13,615,245 British tourists headed to Spanish destinations – roughly 11,000,000 more than any other country.

The Top 10:

1. Spain
2. New Zealand
3. Australia
4. USA
5. Canada
6. Italy
7. France
8. Portugal
9. Germany
10. Dubai

Since last weeks column about Real Mallorca they have released the season ticket prices and fixtures for the coming season. Their first game is at home to Éibar on the weekend of the 17/18th of August.

Season Ticket Renewals are available online at www.rcdmallorca.esand at the office at the stadium from 08/07/19.

The season ticket includes all 2019/20 league matches

All Copa del Rey matches 2019/20 (except a possible final)

U-21’s are considered those born between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2004

Children born between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2014 are considered children

Under 5’s go free but will be required to sit on your lap or on an unsold seat if available.

New applications will be taken from the 8th of August, with all the same conditions as above. All prices can be found on our Radio One Mallorca Facebook page.

Not such good news for Atlético Baleares who won their game last Sunday 3-1 but unfortunately lost on that all important away goal. It means they are staying another season in Segunda B. If there is any good news out of that their manager Manix Mandiola who did a great job has agreed to stay on for another season.

We’re lucky enough to have some great concerts and gigs for all ages coming to the island again this year. Including Tony Hadley in Port Adriano, Robin S in Son Fusteret and Tiesto in BCM to name a few.

Below is the list of highest grossing tours of the year so far;

1. Elton John £65.6 Million

2. Pink £64.6 Million

3. Justin Timberlake £59.9 Million

4. Metallica £55.3 Million

5. Fleetwood Mac £53.7 Million

6. Ed Sheeran £50.5 Million

7. KISS £46.5 Million

8. Trans-Siberian Orchestra £45.8 Million(look them up I had to!)

9. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band £42.4Million

10. Travis Scott £40 Million

Not that I’m watching it but Just a thought, why don’t Love Island stick a fat fella in? Surely it’s about personality and not just beefcakes? Asking for a friend and sticking up for the heavies. Remember it’s all about the Dad Bod!

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

To be honest I’m still on cloud 9 after the amazing result for Real Mallorca last Sunday. I’ve already written about the game but so many things have happened since then. The amount of texts, emails, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram messages I’ve had is amazing. Monday morning on the radio I was a little hoarse to be honest but it was all worth it. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to get invited onto the Hawksbee & Jacobs Christmas radio show on Talksport and I’ve kept in touch since. Last week I wrote to Paul Hawksbee to tell him that Mallorca had made the play-off final and it was a great achievement for such a small island. He didn’t read the message until Friday morning after they had been beaten 2-0 by Deportivo in the 1st leg. So he wrote back and said he would keep an eye out for the score and mention it on Mondays show. Well that all changed after the drama of Sunday night. I got a message from him on Monday morning saying would I like to join them on the show to chat about the game and what getting Into La Liga means for the island. I was delighted to and we had a really good chat which can hear if you go to my or the radios Facebook page.

So what does it mean to the club and the island?

Firstly the club. After very nearly going out of business a few years ago this is massive. It’s payback for the new owners who despite misgivings from certain fans kept their faith in the team. The influx of TV money and sponsorships should be north of 50 million euros. Judging by the number of people asking me about season tickets then they shouldn’t have a problem filling up the stadium. The ground holds 23,000 so I wouldn’t be surprised if they got at least 15,000 season ticket holders. As of writing no prices have been released but they’re definitely not going to be as cheap as this season. I paid 100€ for mine and 50€ each for the boys to sit in Sol Baja which is the lower part of the uncovered stand. I can see that at least doubling which is fair enough as when Barcelona and Madrid come to town I’m sure the tickets will be around 90€ each meaning those 2 games alone would virtually pay for the season. The fixtures are released next Thursday the 4th of July and the season starts the weekend of the 16th of August. So I would expect the prices to be released on week beginning Monday 8th of July. If you’d like me to send you all the information please email me on the address below.

The team itself is going to need looking at. Sentiment unfortunately won’t be part of this process as they have to build in order to stay in the league. The team although strong is made up of Segunda and Segunda B players and the only player with significant La Liga experience is Salva Sevilla and he’s 35. They will look at the 3 teams that have gone down, Girona, Huesca and Rayo Vallecano and try and get some players from them.

Here’s my thoughts on the squad of 18 that started against Deportivo.

GK: Manolo Reina aged 34 has never played in La Liga but his experience means he may stay to be a number 2 to a more experienced La Liga keeper. That could be Binnisalem born Miguel Ángel Moya currently at Real Sociedad. Played for Mallorca between 2004 and 2009 and has bags of La Liga experience.

RB: Joan Sastre aged 22 and born in Porreres. Has a contract to 2020, he’s a solid young defender who was attracting interest from Spurs but with promotion to La Liga I expect him to stay.

CH: Martin Valjent aged 23, has never played in La Liga but formed a solid defensive partnership with Raillo and has just signed a contract to 2022.

CH: Antonio Raillo aged 27, has a contract to 2021 and has made 4 previous appearances in La Liga for Espanyol. Nottingham Forest made a bid for him in the January transfer window but the club persuaded him to stay. I expect him to stay and build on his partnership with Valjent.

LB: Pervis Estupiñan aged 21, on loan from Watford, has never played in the Premier League but has made 2 previous appearances in La Liga. Had a very strong second half of the season and had a great left sided understanding with Lago Junior. Rumours are he’s signed a pre-contract with Osasuna another promoted side but at the moment they are unsubstantiated.

LM: Lago Junior aged 28, has made 5 previous appearances for Numancia in La Liga. Rumours a couple of years ago were that West Bromwich Albion were going to buy him after Mallorca played them in pre-season. Can be a wonderful player on his day but doesn’t have those days every week. Has a contract Until 2021, i think they might sell him.

CM: Salva Sevilla aged 35 the only player with plenty of La Liga experience and the driving force behind their promotion. He has a contract until 2020 and I would expect them to give him another year.

CM: Iddrisu Baba aged 23, never played in La Liga. Without doubt the Man of the match for me against Deportivo and has a bright future. Contracted until 2020 and will definitely stay.

RM: Aridai Cabrera aged 30, never played in La Liga. One of my favourite players who always gives 100%. He’s fast and has a big heart but I think his age and lack of La Liga experience may count against him. Contracted until 2020, they might try to move him on, I hope I’m wrong.

CF: Dani Rodriguez aged 31, never played in La Liga. Mallorca’s outstanding player in the semi final against former club Albacete culminating in hitting a screamer of a last minute goal which proved vital in a 2-1 win. Has a contract until 2021 so I expect him to stay.

CF: Anti Budimir aged 27, never played in La Liga. Signed on loan in the January transfer window and has just signed a deal until 2023.

SUBS

GK: Parera aged 23 has a contract until 2021 I expect him to play with the B team or possibly move on.

CH: Xisco Campos aged 37 born in Binnisalem and played 2 games in La Liga in 2004/5. Might get a contract as defensive cover.

CF: Abdon Prats aged 26 born in Arta and has played 1 game in La Liga in  2011/12. Has a contract until 2021, scored the promotion winning goal on Sunday and is a fans favourite. Is he good enough for La Liga? Worth a shot I think.

CF: Alex De Groot aged 25, never played in La Liga. Has a contract until 2021. Is he good enough for La Liga? Offers a different option up front, I’m 50/50 on this one.

RB: Salva Ruiz aged 24, on loan from Valencia and will be going back.

CF: Stoichkov aged 25, never played in La Liga. Has a contract until 2022 but I expect him to leave.

LM: Leo Suarez aged 23, on loan from Villareal and has played 16 games in La Liga. A possible year long loan but will  probably go back to Villareal.

It’s going to be an interesting pre-season and I can’t wait for it all to start.

What does it mean to the island?

It will be a boost to tourism as there will definitely be people coming to the island to take in a game. So they’ll be benefits to the airlines, the airport, hotels, bars and restaurants. This will be particularly welcomed in the winter months.

It will also boost local football. Mallorca does have a great youth set up that has produced players such as Marco Asensio whose now at Real Madrid and a Spanish International. The chance to go and watch players such as Messi and Hazard live is an amazing opportunity. Something that my 2 boys are really looking forward to.

Good luck tomorrow to Atlético Baleares who like Mallorca need to reverse a 2-0 deficit at home to Mirandes. It’s a sellout at Son Malferit so hopefully the crowd can help them get promoted for the first time to La Liga 123. Once again this would be a huge lift to island football and be a fitting start to their move to their redeveloped old stadium.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.

Sunday night was one of those nights where you can say “I was there!”

Now let’s be honest me and my boys have been there through thick and thin with Real Mallorca and having watched some god awful games in recent years we were desperate to get back into the big time. My eldest can just about remember us being there 6 years ago but not my youngest so let’s take a look back.

In 2012/13 Real Mallorca were relegated from La Liga after an impressive 16 years in the top flight. In 2016 after a lot of turmoil, American Robert Sarver bought the club but things at the time didn’t improve.

June 4th 2017, they were relegated to Segunda División Bafter a draw against already relegated Mirandés. The club had spent 36 years between the first and second division so this was a new low point. On the 19th of June they appointed Vincente Moreno as their new coach which was probably their best signing.

On May 27, 2018, Mallorca returned to Segunda División in 2017–18 seasonafter winning against Mirandésin the promotion play-offs. The club was promoted to the second division in the same stadium where it was relegated in the previous season.

And so to Sunday, after a 2-0 loss last Thursday away in Coruña only the most die hard fan were saying or thinking Si se puede(yes we can). I said to my 2 boys that we’ll go down to the ground early to welcome the Mallorca coach to the ground. It took me back to how football used to be when I was growing up. Back then you thought nothing of getting to the ground 2 hours before a game but in this day and age arriving 5 minutes before the start is the norm. My boys were a little reluctant, “why so early Dad?” “What’s the point?” Were 2 of many questions they asked. That was until we arrived on the road to the ground which was packed with supporters singing and dancing. The atmosphere when the team bus arrived was incredible and those players sat on that bus couldn’t help but be inspired.

And inspired they were. 21,210 fans turned the Son Moix into a cauldron and pretty much the whole stadium were dressed in club colours. The first goal came on 21 minutes when Budimir hit a lovely left foot shot from just outside the area, the dream was on. Into the 2nd half and Mallorca kept pressing and looked like it would only be a matter of time before they scored. On 62 minutes they were awarded a free-kick. Salva Sevilla has been known to hit a free kick like David Beckham and sure enough he obliged, rifling into the bottom right corner. 2-2 which meant if Mallorca could survive extra time without conceding they’d be up as they’d finished above Deportivo in the league. They were then saved from conceding an expensive away goal by a terrific stop from Manolo Reina. It felt like everybody had accepted extra time everybody except Abdon Prats. Born in Arta he is the fans favourite especially the Ultras behind the goal. On 82 minutes he picked up the ball midway through the half and kept running towards the goal and about 25 yards out he let rip a screaming left footer which flew past the keeper. Fitting perhaps that a Mallorcan born should hit the winning goal. A tense last few minutes saw Deportivo miss a point blank header right at the end of the game which would have been heartbreaking. At the final whistle there were scenes of complete joy both on the pitch and off it too. Not for long though as those off the pitch ran to get on it including me and my 2 boys. You had to feel a little sorry for Deportivo, their supporters and probably more than most their coach Pep Lluis Marti. Born in Palma he played 316 games for Mallorca and Mallorca B and was a legendary club Captain. I probably think Mallorca was the last team he wanted to face in the play-offs.

Countless memories of a great night culminating in my boys saying “Dad, we’re going to be seeing Messi, Hazard and Griezmann on this pitch next season!” They couldn’t contain their excitement on the way home and went to sleep with their shirts on dreaming of the amazing games to come next season.

Real Mallorca are in La Liga!