Mallorca midfielder Antonio Sanchez (second right). | Photo: Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter
Monro BrycePalma16/10/2026 10:47
After a week when this sign was seen outside the Van Gogh vehicle rental shop in Middlesbrough – “If you need a van in a hurry, we’ve got one ’ere!” – Real Mallorca make the trip to the Basque country where they’ll play Eibar (joint top with Almeria) at their Ipurua stadium. Kick off is tomorrow (Saturday, October 17 at 4:15). The last time we played there was in March 2020 when goals from Take Kubo and Dani Rodriguez saw us win 1-2.
There was a real buzz after we beat Las Palmas 3-1 in the Son Moix last Sunday night. With the exception of the minutes just after Las Palmas’s goal, Mallorca played what most fans believe was their best match, or at least their most complete performance of the season so far; solid in defence, creative in midfield and effective in attack.
One of the surprises from last Sunday was the performance of Palma-born Antonio Sanchez playing as a holding midfielder. I put my hands up and say I’ve been one of his biggest critics in the five years he’s been here but against Las Palmas he had a new lease of life and was revitalised. Could the performance of Mallorca mean that for the first time this season (as we approach match day 10) we could begin with an unchanged starting XI against “Los Armeros” on Saturday ? We may have to make an enforced change as Pablo Torre has a virus.
Years ago the saying was that to get promotion to the first division you had to win away at Ipurua. Come 6 o’clock tomorrow night we’ll see if Real Mallorca are fit and proper to be one of the candidates for promotion against a tough Basque outfit.
One of Spanish football’s characters and an ex Mallorca favourite, 25-year-old Take Kubo seems to have fallen from grace. Kubo had two spells on loan at Real Mallorca in 2019/20 and 21/22, both highly successful and he was true box office. We regularly saw hundreds of Japanese football tourists attending home games.
After going on loan to Getafe and Villareal, he finally settled down at Real Sociedad. Now after a bright start in San Sebastian, he’s found himself nine months without a goal, six without an assist and spending more time on the bench than a judge. He had a disastrous World Cup for Japan and the start to this season sees his recent slump deepen.
In terms of minutes played, he’s been creating precious few chances and touches the ball less frequently in the opposition box and has yet to deliver a quality cross during open play. The recently-married Kubo was once a rising star in Spanish football thanks to his exceptional dribbling, decision making and intelligent movement.
He did lack a clinical physical touch but his future was never in doubt. However, after five years in the Basque country his career has stalled. Being the icon he is in Japan has come at a price. His criticism of the transfer policy at Sociedad was ill-advised and he made things worse by saying before the World Cup “At least with Japan I might get to play.”
Two ex Real Mallorca managers are making a return to Spanish football – Jagoba Arrasate is going back to Osasuna and Javier Aguirre takes over at troubled Valencia. After Osasuna lost 2-5 to Real Betis last Sunday it looked curtains for the incumbent coach Luis Ramis. He couldn’t get a tune out of the present squad and four straight defeats left the Osasuna hierarchy with no option but to fire him.
Stepping in to replace him is Jagoba Arrasate, an undisputed legend for the Navarrese club. He is the manager with the second-most games in charge in the club’s history, and a figure with a tremendous bond with the fan-base. Above all he brought the good times to El Sadar, unlike his struggles at Real Mallorca where after a promising start it all went downhill.
Valencia have had a torrid time over the past two seasons with the owners falling foul of countless demonstrations asking them to go forth and multiply – all to no avail! Taking over is the much-travelled Javier Aguirre – who Mallorquinistas know very well. The Mexican tactician returns to Spanish football just months after concluding his time as coach of the Mexican national team.
He will be tasked with steadying a ship that has been rocked by a poor early season. His long La Liga history is built upon rescuing struggling sides, most recently keeping Mallorca in the top flight between 2022 and 2024. It’s vital Valencia stay in La Liga as their new stadium is expected to be open for the start of next season. The 70,000 Nou Mestalla is one of the longest ongoing yet ambitious stadium construction in world football. Building started in 2007, however financial issues caused delays. After a 15 year break standing empty in the city centre, work finally restarted in 2025.
AND FINALLY, a golden olde. With the huge TUI marathon road race taking place in Palma on Sunday, this story came to mind. A woman was having an affair and one rainy day was in bed with her lover when she heard her husband’s car pull into the driveway. She shouted “OMG, hurry, grab your clothes and jump out of the window.” The lover jumped out of the window to find he was right in the middle of the town’s marathon race.
He joined in with 300 other runners. After a while, a small group of runners who had been watching him with curiosity asked “Do you always run in the nude ?” “Oh yes,” the man replied, “it feels so wonderfully free.” A runner asked “Do you always carry your clothes under your arm ?” “Oh yes, he answered, “That way I can get dressed right at the end of the run and go home.” Another runner cast his eye a little lower and enquired “Do you always wear a condom when you run ?” The lover replied “Nope – only when it’s raining !”