A version of this text was first published in October 2021.
The freshly made pizza at Son Moix’s Mallorca home is so good that players stay after La Liga matches to share a slice with fans lucky enough to sit in the club’s VIP corner.
It’s baked at 800 degrees in a transportable oven with ingredients flown in from Naples, and Andy Kohlberg – a former tennis player and current president of the club – calls it “literally the best pizza you’ll ever eat.”
Mallorca’s international influence, each on and off the pitch, has helped the Balearic Islands club establish themselves in La Liga after a turbulent few years.
For the second time of their history, after their Samuel Eto’o-inspired triumph in 2003, they at the moment are one step away from King’s Cup success.
After a series of victories over Girona and Real Sociedad Athletic, Bilbao stands in the way of Los Bermellones in Saturday’s final in Seville.
Up to 20,000 fans are expected to travel from the island, with many more expected to watch the performance on a large screen arrange in Palma’s Placa de la Reina.
“For a Mallorian, this is a dream,” said striker and cult hero Abdon Prats. “We are a club we can be proud of, reborn after eight years.”
In 2016, Mallorca was heavily in debt when it was purchased by a gaggle consisting of Kohlberg and Robert Sarver, who co-owned the NBA team Phoenix Suns until Sarver became suspended and fined following an NBA investigation into allegations of racism and misogyny in 2022 – in addition to basketball legend Steve Nash.
That season ended with relegation to Spain’s third tier, and Mallorca has since returned to the top flight before being relegated and promoted again in the 2020–2021 season.
Also featuring former England defender Graeme le Saux, Mallorca are currently having fun with a 3rd consecutive season in Spain’s top flight.
“It’s an understatement that it’s been a rollercoaster,” Kohlberg, who has since bought out Sarver’s shares, told BBC Sport. “It was a challenge, but we coped with it.
“It’s hard to plan long term when you’re not sure which division you’ll be playing in next year, but I hope we’ve made some progress.
“We’ve learned a lot of things along the way and our goal is obviously to establish ourselves in La Liga and be sort of in the top ten.”
They achieved this last season by ending ninth, although Javier Aguirre’s men are currently fifteenth in the table.
Kohlberg wanted to create a winning culture by specializing in the club’s academy and development program while improving the squad through smart acquisitions, although he leaves that side of the business to the “football experts”.
“I bring a different perspective to it,” he said after 17 years with the Suns, who reached the NBA Finals last season.
“I know what the mentality of the best athletes is, so I apply this knowledge to other sports. “I bring this understanding that is a bit different than the typical businessman or footballer.”
The club recently completed a £25 million renovation of the Mallorca Son Moix Stadium, which saw the removal of the athletics track, increased capacity to over 26,000 and a focus on sustainability.
In addition to great pizza, it also boasts Spain’s first “tunnel club” – featuring a one-way glass wall in the tunnel, a press conference viewing room and a mini VIP stand.
When it was first unveiled, the club said it wanted to “dedicate more attention to Millennials and Gen Z, while still having a crowd that is 50% women.”
“The key is not to try to carry over the entire American mentality,” explains Kohlberg, who tries to balance such innovations with preserving the traditional gameday experience.
“We have a really clear strategy to address the interests of two types of fans – we have our core supporters, but 13 million tourists come to the island every year.
“It’s about recognizing and celebrating the culture of the island by fans who have been coming here for 20 years and preserving that experience for them, but also offering something different to people who aren’t from Majorca.”
Over the past few seasons, international signings have helped bring global attention to the island football club.
When Japanese star Takefusa Kubo, currently with Real Sociedad, was on loan there during the 2021-2022 season, Mallorca produced its own content for the club’s Japanese audience – it was the third most watched club in the league on YouTube, after Barcelona and Real Madrid.
There was an identical appeal for South Korean striker Kang-in Lee, who moved to Paris St-Germain, while Canadian striker Cyle Larin led Mallorca in the League Cup this season.
“Well, first we make a football decision. Are they the right players, do they have the right value and are they properly prepared?” Kohlberg explained.
“It is certainly a secondary factor in our decision, but the main decision is made by the players, whether they are fit and what we are looking for.”
Now the islanders have found one other way to appear on the football map. Win in Seville on Saturday and all eyes shall be on the reborn club.
Credit : www.bbc.co.uk
