As one of just 11 clubs to have lifted the Copa del Rey trophy in the 21st century, RCD Mallorca hold a special place in Spanish football history. The club from the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea are nicknamed Los Bermellones, meaning The Vermilions in English, and they have returned to the Copa del Rey final after overcoming Real Sociedad in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 edition. Here come five facts you might not have known about this unique club.
The stadium is only 25 years old and recently redeveloped
RCD Mallorca play in Palma, the biggest city on the island of Mallorca. Their home ground is the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, which was built for the 1999 Summer Universiade and which has been used by the football team ever since. It was recently redeveloped to remove the athletics track and to enhance the matchday atmosphere, with the current capacity now at approximately 23,000 seats.
RCD Mallorca won the Copa del Rey in 2003
Without doubt, the greatest moment in RCD Mallorca's history was the 2002/03 Copa del Rey final, where they defeated Recreativo de Huelva 3-0 with a Walter Pandiani penalty and a Samuel Eto'o brace. They had also won the 1998 Spanish Super Cup, as the club enjoyed a very successful few years around the turn of the century.
Rafael Nadal's uncle used to be the club captain
The captain of RCD Mallorca when they won the Copa del Rey in 2003 was Miguel Ángel Nadal, who also used to play for FC Barcelona and who is the uncle of Rafael Nadal. The legendary tennis player is from Manacor on the island of Mallorca and has often been seen attending matches at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
There is a mural of Samuel Eto'o outside the stadium
As the scorer of two goals in that 2003 Copa del Rey final, Samuel Eto'o will forever be a club legend. In fact, there is a mural of the forward at the stadium, which stands at seven metres wide and almost 10 metres high. It was created by local Mallorcan artist René Mäkelä, who described it as “a gift from all Mallorquinistas to one of the most important icons in the history of the club". In total, Eto'o scored 70 goals for the team in 165 appearances between 2000 and 2004.
The club has NBA links in its ownership group
The RCD Mallorca ownership group knows what it takes to win in the world of sport, as the island club boasts two of the most successful figures in NBA history as shareholders in the form of Steve Nash and Steve Kerr. Former Chelsea and England player Graeme Le Saux has also been a board member at the club during their rise back to the top of Spanish football.
