Having entered his 10th season at RCD Mallorca this year, Antonio Raíllo looked back on each season in this exclusive interview with club media.
2016-2017 season: Relegation to Segunda B
A tough debut season, the team finished in 20th place in Segunda A, sealing their relegation to Segunda División B. Raíllo recalls how difficult that season was: "The results didn't come, and often I can't figure out why. We tried, we fought, and many times we saw that we were better than our opponents, but we couldn't win. It was a very difficult year, especially at the end."
2017-2018 season: Promotion to Segunda División
The 2017/18 season was a turning point for Mallorca: under Vicente Moreno, the team achieved promotion from Segunda División B to Segunda División. Raíllo highlights the unity of the group that year: "It was a very united squad, a family was created within the dressing room that achieved the objective. In the end, promotion was a must. All the negative atmosphere that had been there was cleared away."
2018–2019 season: Promotion to the First Division
The 2018–19 campaign culminated in Mallorca's historic return to the First Division. The team sealed its promotion in June 2019. Raíllo relives the euphoria of that decisive day: ‘I think there was a wave of excitement that culminated on 23 June with promotion to the First Division.’
2019-2020 season: Relegation due to COVID-19
Mallorca's debut in the First Division in the 2019/20 season started with high hopes, even late in LaLiga with a key victory against Eibar that put the team out of the relegation zone before the pandemic brought the season to a halt. This enforced break due to COVID-19 changed the course of the championship. After the restart, with a tight schedule, Mallorca was relegated to the Second Division once again. Raíllo recounts with conviction: "That year in the First Division, before COVID, we went to play Eibar and won... Then COVID arrived, LaLiga was halted... Our squad wasn't prepared for that, it was too small. But I am totally convinced that if COVID hadn't come along, we would have been saved."
2020-2021 season: New promotion to the First Division
After relegation, the team's determination returned. The 2020/21 season was spectacular: Mallorca earned 82 points in the Second Division and finished in second place, tied on points with the leaders, earning direct promotion to the First Division. "It's true that from then on, people didn't get discouraged... It was a spectacular season, I think we got 82 points," says Raíllo.
2021-2022 season: Agonising survival in Pamplona
The 2021/22 campaign looked complicated from the start. Raíllo suffered an injury in pre-season and returned to play after several months out, missing almost half the league. With Luis García Plaza initially manager and then Javier Aguirre, Mallorca fought until the end to avoid relegation. The team secured their place in the top flight on the last day of the season with an epic victory over Osasuna at El Sadar, an outcome that the captain describes as a ‘miracle’. As he himself admits, ‘it was a miracle’ to achieve salvation after such a difficult season.
2022–23 season: Ninth place in LaLiga
In the 2022–23 season, Mallorca consolidated its growth and stability in the top flight. The team performed consistently well and had a clear style of play, which allowed it to finish LaLiga in a creditable ninth place. "It was a very consistent team throughout the year with a very clear style of play. It was a very good season," Raíllo points out.
2023-2024 season: Copa del Rey final
The 2023/24 season will remain etched in the memory of all Mallorca fans due to the historic Copa del Rey final. The team reached the final of this competition for the fourth time, generating enormous excitement among the fans. Raíllo recalls that magical atmosphere: "In the Cup, we got through one round, then another, and then another, and the excitement began to build... The opportunity came and the team responded very well and made it to the final. I think the Copa del Rey final was the high point that hooked a lot of people."
Although the final ended in defeat on penalties against Athletic Club, the feeling in the dressing room and among the fans was one of pride, showing that the project can compete for top-level titles.
In the recent 2024/25 season, under the management of Jagoba Arrasate, Mallorca continued to consolidate its position in the First Division. The team had a spectacular first half of the season and many classified it as the ‘revelation team’, but in the end it failed to make the final push needed to reach Europe. The championship ended with Mallorca in tenth place, just on the edge of the European spots. Raíllo does not hide a certain bittersweet feeling: "At the beginning, it was all compliments... we were having a spectacular season... But we couldn't quite manage that final push and we couldn't find the solution to make it happen. At the end of the second half of the season, I think everyone was a little disappointed."
