A privileged relationship

The plane departs on-time. At 08:40 it takes off from Barcelona-El Prat Airport and starts its journey to Palma de Mallorca. The players and the technical staff of the Under-18s’ a-team, the Marcet High Performance Academy flagship competitor, are on board. RCD Mallorca awaits their arrival, waiting to open the doors of its sporting city to a friendly match.

The expedition lands early in the morning in the Balearic Islands’ capital. The game is scheduled for the afternoon, but the team led by Pere Tarradellas immediately goes to Ciudad Deportiva Antonio Asensio. There the players not only eat, but also attend the main team’s training session. A gesture that symbolises the close relationship between Marcet and the Balearic Islands.

In fact, there has always been a direct thread between the football academy and the Balearic Islands. A privileged relationship that is not only explained by geographical proximity but also through links woven by dozens of players and technicians who, over the last four decades, have crossed the path across the Mediterranean sea in both directions.

Alex Ginard is a key component of Barça’s lower category team. Before first arriving finding his way there, the Mallorcan playmaker caught a plane in Palma with the sole purpose of coursing Marcet’s intensive programs. After this first contact, both his family and his coaches agreed that they had to give their approach to football training a twist. Talent has to be cultivated. The High-Performance Academy’s discipline would be key to him earning FC Barcelona’s armband.

Historias de éxito

Ginard is just one of the dozens of Balearic footballers who have come to Marcet to try to make the leap to professional football. But there are also many coaches who have embarked on the same path in search of professional opportunities. This is the case of Roberto Cuesta, who, after no less than 20 years of experience on Mallorcan team benches, decided to join the Marcet High-Performance Academy. This photo report gives an account of his career.

In addition to the links established by players and technicians with their personal stories, the relationship between Marcet and Mallorca is also sustained at an institutional level. Both by the close ties that have been established with many Balearic football teams, as well as by a direct presence in the territory itself. In fact, Mallorca was one of the first locations to which Marcet exported its training model. Initiatives that have resulted in agreements with local institutions and the implementation of campus and football courses.

The game between Marcet’s A and RCD Mallorca is more than just a match. It is the symbol of a relationship that is creating more opportunities for the personal and professional development of football lovers alike. It is a game that will continue to be played in many institutional and sports collaborations to come. A friendly in every possible way.