Abdón Prats, the Mallorcan forward who claims to be based on goals

Abdón Prats is sweet. The Mallorca forward has reached maturity, with just 28 years of age, in one of his best sporting moments. He has signed four goals in the last four days and has become a fundamental piece in the leader's gear.

The forward from the Mallorcan town of Artà is the nephew of the historic goalkeeper Toni Prats, whose career took place between Mallorca (in two stages), Celta and Betis, and grew up in the Vermilion quarry between 2010 and 2013. When he played in the subsidiary he made the decision to go out to earn his bread in Burgos the 2013-14 campaign, where he scored 13 goals in 37 games.

The front, lovingly branded 'Ca de bou', a Mallorcan canine breed that is characterized by being 'very stubborn and impulsive', returned home without much luck alternating the first and second teams. Curiously, his debut in the Real Mallorca first team occurred earlier, in the 2011-12 season, on matchday 36 at the hands of Joaquín Caparrós in a match against Getafe, whose coach was then Luis García Plaza, his current coach at Mallorca.

In 2015, he left the island again for Tenerife, where he did not get to play, finally landing at Mirandés., a destination that smiles at him and where he plays 45 games scoring 29 goals. From Miranda to Santander to play in a historic, Racing, where luck is elusive and he only participates in 14 games, although with a good balance sheet: 10 goals, almost one per game. There he is loved by the fans and emotionally comforted.

And his journey ends with the return home. Mallorca, recently relegated to Second B, needs a forward who knows the category well and Abdon returns. In that course he became the offensive benchmark of the team together with Lago Junior and with a good performance and goals collaborates in the vermilion ascent and his return to LaLiga.

Once in Second, Abdon has fewer minutes from the hand of Vicente Moreno, who has the Croatian Ante Budimir as the starting forward, but the Mallorcan's moment of glory is reserved for him on the last day of the competition at the most opportune moment.

Mallorca, fifth classified in Second, reaches promotion playoff and, after beating Albacete in the first round, he must play the final against another historic player: Deportivo. The vermilions lose in the first leg in Riazor, 2-0, and must play the second leg in Palma.

The epic of the comeback seems almost impossible, but Mallorca equal the score (2-0), and with fifteen minutes remaining, Abdon throws a left-footed shot from outside the area that is 3-0 and is the key to promotion to First.

That shoe, that goal, elevates Abdon to the Mallorcan fans and makes him the hero of the match, promotion and celebrations. Gone are the years of trying to earn a place wherever you go. His place was at home.

On the first account, very little for coach Vicente Moreno, he does not score any goal throughout the season in the few minutes he has and far from evaluating an exit, after relegation he stayed despite the fact that everything pointed to a transfer.

Initially he starts playing this season with Luis García Plaza, but after starting in three of the first four days, alternates substitutions and residual minutes with his partner Álex Alegría until reaching matchday 16.

In Almería, he enters the field of play in the last ten minutes and achieves a huge goal: Chilean shot inside the area to pass from Lago Junior who had just entered the field also from the bench and 0-1 to add three very important points.

A day before he had scored against Logroñés, and a day after the famous Chilean, he scored another two goals against Castellón. Four goals in three games had ended a year and a half drought since the goal of promotion to First Division.

Abdon is back, his teammates celebrate him and the coach, Luis García Plaza has recognized not only his goals but also his work for the team when he does not score, adding that those good streaks “you have to take advantage of them.”

Abdon himself vindicates himself, and recently he pointed out that “some will have to shut up”, taking the opportunity to ask for a respect that he believes has been earned in the field. The Mallorcan from Artà is at his best and that is good for him and for the team. The fans celebrate him especially for being a player from the island.

Will Abdon be the 'nine' that Mallorca was missing?