The rivalry between RCD Mallorca and CD Atlético Baleares, known as the Palma derby (Catalan: derbi palmesà, Spanish: derbi palmesano), is the derby between the main football clubs based in Palma de Mallorca (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain).
| Location |  Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain |
|---|---|
| Teams | RCD Mallorca CD Atlético Baleares |
| First meeting | RS Alfonso XIII FC 2–1 Baleares FC Friendly (13 March 1921) |
| Latest meeting | RCD Mallorca 3–2 CD Atlético Baleares Segunda División B, group III (21 January 2018) |
| Stadiums | Visit Mallorca Stadium (RCD Mallorca) Estadi Balear (CD Atlético Baleares) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 83 |
| Most wins | RCD Mallorca (47) |
History
editBoth clubs are, by far, the oldest in the capital of the Balearic Islands (the rest were founded from the mid-1960s) and have known an intense rivalry since the 1920s, due to the social, economical, and political differences between their respective founders. While RCD Mallorca (then called Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII FC after King Alfonso XIII) was led by the local upper class, who favoured the Spanish state, CD Atlético Baleares (then called Baleares FC) was known as the club of the local working class and was formed by Republicans.[1] This character is very diluted at present and both clubs are much more heterogeneous than in the beginning, but the foundational character is still very present when defining the rivalry between the supporter groups.
Their rivalry has remained very alive at street level, despite being clubs at very different sporting levels from the 1960s onwards - and especially since the 1980s, when Mallorca made a significant improvement and became a regular in the Primera and Segunda Division, while Atlético Baleares remained in the lower Segunda Division B and Tercera División.[2]
The first edition of the Palma derby took place on the 13th of March 1921, between the second team of Alfonso XIII and the first of Baleares in the stadium of Bons Aires, property of Alfonso XIII. The match ended early because of a pitch battle between players and the public when Alfonso XIII was winning by 2 goals to 1.[3][4][5]
The rivalry has remained alive for more than a century despite the name changes of the two clubs. RCD Mallorca has been known as RS Alfonso XIII FC (1916-1931), CD Mallorca (1931-1949) and RCD Mallorca (since 1949). CD Atlético Baleares, on the other hand, has been known as Baleares FC (1920-1942), CD Atlético-Baleares (1942-1943), and CD Atlético Baleares (since 1943). The latter club is called CE Atlètic Balears in the local Mallorcan dialect of Catalan.[1]
At insular level, for a time two clubs shared rivalry with a third team: CE Constància from the neighboring town of Inca, especially until the 1960s. In the other islands of the Balearic archipelago, the main rivals were SD Ibiza (from Ibiza, the capital of the Pityusic Islands) and UD Mahón (from Mahón, the capital of Menorca). The aforementioned rise in sporting achievement that RCD Mallorca lived from the 1960s reduced all these rivalries to a minimum, except the one with Atlético Baleares.
The last derby, played in 2018 in Segunda División B, aroused great excitement and showed that the rivalry is still very much alive.[6]
League matches
editOnly clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (first Mallorca Atlético and currently RCD Mallorca B) are not included.
Copa del Rey
editOnly clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (first Mallorca Atlético and currently RCD Mallorca B) are not included.
| Season | Stadium | Round | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Es Fortí | 1st round | CD Mallorca | 1 – 0 | At. Baleares | Single match |
| 1986–87 | Estadi Balear | Round of 32 | At. Baleares | 2 – 4 | RCD Mallorca | Single match |
Other tournaments
editOnly clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (first Mallorca Atlético and currently RCD Mallorca B) are not included.
| Season | Tournament | Stadium | Round | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Copa Ayuntamiento de Palma | Bons Aires | Single round | RS Alfonso XIII FC | 4 – 0 | Baleares FC | Competition organized by Palma City Council |
| 1933–34 | Copa Presidente de la República | Son Canals | — | Baleares FC | 1 – 3 | CD Mallorca | — |
| Bons Aires | — | CD Mallorca | 4 – 0 | Baleares FC | — | ||
| 1934–35 | Copa Presidente de la República | Bons Aires | — | CD Mallorca | 1 – 1 | Baleares FC | — |
| Son Canals | — | Baleares FC | 3 – 3 | CD Mallorca | — | ||
| 1935–36 | Copa Presidente de la República | Son Canals | — | Baleares FC | 0 – 0 | CD Mallorca | — |
| Bons Aires | — | CD Mallorca | 1 – 1 | Baleares FC | — | ||
| 1937–38 | Liga Mallorca | Son Canals | — | Baleares FC | 0 – 6 | CD Mallorca | — |
| Bons Aires | — | CD Mallorca | — | Baleares FC | Suspended by withdrawal of the CD Mallorca from the competition | ||
| 1939–40 | Liga Mallorca | Bons Aires | — | CD Mallorca | 1 – 1 | Baleares FC | — |
| Son Canals | — | Baleares FC | 1 – 5 | CD Mallorca | — | ||
| 1940–41 | Liga Mallorca | Son Canals | — | Baleares FC | 0 – 6 | CD Mallorca | — |
| Bons Aires | — | CD Mallorca | 5 – 1 | Baleares FC | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Copa RFEF | Es Fortí | 2nd round | RCD Mallorca | 4 – 2 | Baleares FC | — |
| Son Canals | 2nd round | Baleares FC | 1 – 1 | RCD Mallorca | — | ||
| 1971 | Nicolau Brondo Trophy | Estadi Balear | Single match | At. Baleares | 0 – 1 | RCD Mallorca | — |
| 1972 | Nicolau Brondo Trophy | Estadi Balear | Single match | At. Baleares | 1 – 4 | RCD Mallorca | — |
| 1984 | Nicolau Brondo Trophy | Estadi Balear | Single match | At. Baleares | 0 – 1 | RCD Mallorca | — |
| 1985 | Nicolau Brondo Trophy | Estadi Balear | Single match | At. Baleares | 1 – 2 | RCD Mallorca | — |
| 1993 | Friendly | Estadi Balear | Single match | At. Baleares | 0 – 6 | RCD Mallorca | Commemoration 50 years merger CD Atlético Baleares |
| 1994 | Nicolau Brondo Trophy | Estadi Balear | Single match | At. Baleares | 1 – 1 (*) | RCD Mallorca | — |
| 2008 | Illes Balears Trophy | Bintaufa, Mahón | Semi-finals | RCD Mallorca | 4 – 2 | At. Baleares | — |
(*) RCD Mallorca won on penalties.
Bibliography
edit- Amengual Salas, Vicenç (2021). Orsai: L'Atlètic Balears. Entre la sociologia i el futbol [Orsai. Atlètic Balears. Between sociology and football] (in Catalan). Palma: Illa Edicions. ISBN 978-84-122255-4-9.
- Borchers, Liam (2023). The Story of Atlètic Balears. Groningen: Lulu. ISBN 978-1-4717-4271-2.
- García Gargallo, Manuel (2018). Campeonatos regionales de Baleares. Orígenes y desarrollo 1900-1940 [Regional championships of the Balearic Islands. Origins and evolution 1900-1940] (in Spanish). Oviedo: CIHEFE. ISBN 978-84-948698-6-0.
- García Gargallo, Manuel (2013). Els orígens de l'Atlètic Balears (1920-1942). Dels inicis a la fusió [The origins of Atlètic Balears (1920-1942): From the beginnings to the fusion] (in Catalan). Barcelona: Lulu.
- García Gargallo, Manuel (2020). L'Atlètic Balears (1920-1942): Els primers anys d'una entitat centenària [Atlètic Balears (1920-1942): The first years of a centenary entity] (in Catalan). Palma: Documenta Balear. ISBN 978-84-18441-08-0.
- Pasamontes, Juan Carlos (2005). R.S. Alfonso XIII. La cara oculta del Real CD Mallorca. 1916-1931 [R.S. Alfonso XIII. The hidden face of Real CD Mallorca. 1916-1931] (in Spanish). Palma: Edicions Cort. ISBN 84-89034-81-8.
- Ramis Fernández, Xesc (2017). El derbi de Palma. Historia de una rivalidad vecinal [The Palma derby. The history of a rivalry between neighbours] (in Spanish).
- Salas Fuster, Antoni (2009). L'Atlètic Baleares. Una història de supervivència [Atlètic Balears. A history of survival] (in Catalan). Palma: Ingrama SA. ISBN 978-84-85932-78-8. DL 272-2009.
- Vidal Perelló, Miquel; Vidal Reynés, Jordi (2005). Història del RCD Mallorca (1916-2004) [History of RCD Mallorca (1916-2004)] (in Catalan). Palma: Documenta Balear. ISBN 84-96376-16-8.
- Vidal Perelló, Miquel; Vidal Reynés, Jordi (2016). Un siglo con el RCD Mallorca 1916-2016 [A century with RCD Mallorca 1916-2016] (in Spanish). Palma: Comisión Centenario del Real Mallorca. ISBN 978-84-608-7936-7.
References
edit- ^ a b Borchers, Liam (2023). The Story of Atlètic Balears. Groningen: Lulu. ISBN 978-1-4717-4271-2.
- ^ "El Atlético Baleares, patrimonio del fútbol balear (y mallorquín)". Cuadernos de Fútbol (CIHEFE), nº 76 (in Spanish). 1 May 2016. ISSN 1989-6379.
- ^ "Mallorca vs. At. Balears: una rivalitat de classes". Ara Balears (in Catalan). 22 June 2019.
- ^ "En los cien años del primer derbi Baleares-Mallorca". Cuadernos de Fútbol (CIHEFE), nº 129 (in Spanish). 1 March 2021. ISSN 1989-6379.
- ^ "Una rivalidad centenaria". Última Hora (in Spanish). 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Real Mallorca v Atlético Baleares: the derby that disappeared for 37 years". The Guardian. 4 April 2018.