Tag: futbol

Real Mallorca’s Coaching Changes: A Turning Point

I’ve kept my powder dry on what’s been happening at Real Mallorca over the last few weeks. I think it had become obvious that the coach, Jagoba Arrasate, had taken the team as far as he could. When he came to the club in July 2024 from Osasuna, he was known as an attacking coach who loved to promote younger players into the team.

He started well enough, and by Christmas that year they’d accumulated enough points to virtually assure their La Liga status for the following season. That was when the wheels started to come off, as the second half of the season was awful. That disappointing form continued into the start of this season, and by Christmas I thought the club would look elsewhere.

However, they continued with some good results at home, notably against Sevilla and Athletic Club, but away they were awful. Arrasate finished his tenure at Real Mallorca with a win rate of approximately 30.9% (21 wins in 68 matches).

His record across all competitions during his time in charge (spanning from July 1, 2024, to his departure on February 23, 2026) was:

Matches: 68

Wins: 21

Draws: 15

Losses: 32

The disappointing part of his tenure was not promoting enough youngsters into the first team. The squad is ageing and needs some young, refreshing talent. The only young player who was successful was Jan Virgili, brought in from Barcelona. It was a shame to see former San Francisco forward Marc Domenech loaned out when backup was needed for Muriqi.

When the club did decide to twist, it was obvious they didn’t have a candidate in place. Luis García Plaza and Kike Sánchez Flores seemed to be the two names in pole position. The only problem was that the club did not want to commit to a contract longer than the end of the season, as if they were relegated budgets would have to be cut.

Out of the blue, Argentine Martín Demichelis appeared. The former Manchester City and Bayern Munich player had played over 50 times for his country and had been coaching in Argentina. He agreed to take the short contract and try to keep Mallorca in La Liga.

Demichelis’ first match was yesterday afternoon, away in Pamplona against Osasuna, a side that had only lost two games at home so far this season. Unbelievably, Mallorca found themselves 0–2 up in a game they dominated. That was until Virgili was sent off in the 73rd minute. Osasuna managed to get two goals back, with the second coming from former Mallorca player Ante Budimir.

In all honesty, if you’d offered Mallorca a draw before the game they would have taken it, but having been 0–2 up it will feel like a loss. The huge plus is the form of Vedat Muriqi, who has scored 18 goals this season so far. Making him the second best scorer in La Liga, 5 goals behind Kilian Mbappe of Real Madrid. 

With 11 games to go, Mallorca lie in the relegation places, but a win could see them climb out. The next game is at home to Espanyol next Sunday at Son Moix, kick-off at 14:00.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for Mallorca to stay up. It’s great for tourism, as people do visit the island to watch football. It’s great for those of us who live here to see teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid play live. And finally, it’s great for youth football here on the island. To have a team playing in La Liga is so aspirational for all of our young footballers.

As they say here in Spain “Si se puede”(yes we can).

Rob Croll’s Sporting Son Ferrer Joins Dortmund Academy

Probably one of the biggest things to happen in youth football here in Mallorca for a very long time was announced 2 weeks ago — and I was lucky enough to be there.

Many of you on the island will know Rob Croll and his very successful Russell Martin Academy, which is named after his foster brother — the former footballer, Southampton Manager, and now the Rangers Head Coach. What you might not know is that Rob also runs the football club Sporting Son Ferrer and Mallorca Pro Training. So, he’s a busy man. But before I tell you more about the announcement, let’s find out a little more about Rob.

Born and raised in Brighton, where he went to school and college, Rob realised at that time that he wasn’t going to make it as a professional footballer. He went on to study sports and marketing at university in Southampton. He did some coaching in the UK and the USA and then spoke to his foster brother, Russ, about starting his own academy. The Russell Martin Academy was already an established brand in the UK, and Rob thought it would be a good idea to bring it to Mallorca, where he’d put down roots since moving in 2011.

In the winter of 2018, he began the Academy. He admits the first three months were difficult and that he wondered if it was all worth it. But after offering free football coaching sessions for local schools, things started to kick off (excuse the pun!). He began to be the go-to academy for non-federated kids to learn the technical side of football.

The pandemic was a crushing blow to most small businesses, and Rob was unfortunately no exception. But he managed to build it back up. Being a non-federated player means you don’t play as a team, as you’re not permitted to — but as the academy grew, the need for a team became greater. Around that time, he was playing for a team called Sporting Son Ferrer and was offered the chance to take it over. This gave him the ability to start building teams and retain players who would previously have left to play competitive football elsewhere.

They went from one to two teams in the first and second seasons and gradually grew. Last season, they had six teams — and the hope is that next season this will become ten.

Now, back to the big announcement.

I was invited to the Sporting Son Ferrer trophy presentation night at Oceans Beach Club. My eldest son, Jacob, has been coaching there for a year, and I’ve also been doing some work with Rob through Mallorca Pro Training. It was announced that Sporting Son Ferrer had signed a partnership deal with the German side Borussia Dortmund! From now on, it will be known as Club de Fútbol Borussia Dortmund International Academy Mallorca.

This is something Rob had been working on for months, and after visiting all their facilities in Germany, a deal was agreed. It is an unbelievable opportunity for Rob — but I also believe it’s a great coup for Calvià and the island of Mallorca to be linked with such a prestigious club.

Borussia Dortmund has partnered with youth programs and established academies in 16 countries, including Germany, Japan, Poland, and the USA. In the US alone, they have multiple locations, including Florida, Texas, Washington, Arizona, and Louisiana. They also have five academies in China.

Dortmund sent over two representatives for the presentation. One was Roman Weidenfeller, a goalkeeper and club legend, who made 453 appearances for Dortmund between 2002 and 2018. He won two Bundesliga titles and two German Cups with the club. He is highly regarded for his loyalty and dedication to BVB and now serves as a brand ambassador.

Christian Diercks, Head of the BVB Evonik Football Academy, also attended. He explained that their football philosophy remains the same wherever they are in the world:

• Embrace and create the training environment and attitude of the finest quality that produces real opportunities for players to reach their potential

• Understand and replicate the methodology and training focus needed at the highest levels

• Demand excellence and quality in all aspects of the game

• Create professional pathways for our players at different age levels

• Offer the opportunity for players to be identified early in their career and then monitored for progression year to year by coaches from Borussia Dortmund’s academy

• Develop coaches to their highest potential with exchange and learning opportunities

• Implement playing style and player milestones like the professional environment

• Use resources directly from the academy

• Represent nationally the Borussia Dortmund brand, the club’s history, and its outstanding reputation for player development

Rob stresses that although this partnership has moved the club to another level, the pathway for players doesn’t change. He adds, “Whilst we are aligned with a professional brand now, it’s still football for all. From the very first day that we started RMA and moved on to Sporting Son Ferrer to today, it’s always been about football for all. I don’t want anybody to think that they’re not good enough for this club.”

On a personal note, I look forward to seeing my son Jacob begin his coaching career at the club — and also to witnessing the impact this partnership will have on the future of youth football here on the island.

If you are interested in your child joining the club, please contact Rob on 0034 691 173 265.