Iddrisu Baba knows better than most what it is like to make the leap from academy football to the first team at RCD Mallorca.
The midfielder became an integral part of the senior side following his debut three years ago, and having seen the next generation of Luka Romero, Fran González and Iván Bravo assimilate to the demands of the senior game, believes it is important to lead by example.
“Seeing players like that, I can remember when I was going through the same procedures they were going through,” he told club media. “We help the young ones most of the time, because we have been in their position before. Sometimes, if there are slight corrections which will help them as much as possible, we try to help them.”
Entering the second half of the campaign with 42 points and sitting one of the automatic promotion places, Baba says there is a long way to go this season despite our good form under the new style of play manager Luis García Plaza has introduced this year.
“I would love to say we’ve done a great job, but we’ve done a good job and we still have the chance to do a great job as well,” he continued. “At the moment it’s a very good position in which we find ourselves at this point in time. In general, I think we’ve done well, but we are only at the halfway point and we’re yet to get to the finish line.
“I’ve had to adapt to the system as it’s his way of playing. Everybody has had to get used to the system. At the beginning it wasn’t like my regular position, but I’m getting used to it every game. I’m getting used to everything and I think the other guys are getting used to everything as well.”
