Abdón Prats
A different kind of football player
Abdón Prats (Artà, 1992) is the absolute idol of Real Mallorca and the scorer of goals that already form part of the club’s mythology. His 1950s film star charisma, his sensitivity and his artist-like halo make him a different kind of footballer, one from another era. He speaks slowly, with a beautiful, deep voice, pondering every word that comes out of his mouth. And he also moves slowly, as if he were reserving every atom of energy for the intelligent, intuitive animal that inhabits his interior every time he takes to the field.
text Iván Terrasa
photography Íñigo Vega / RCD Mallorca
Abdón is one of those people whom life has touched with a magic wand. A person of light who has nevertheless had to go through many difficult trials – both personal and professional – from a very young age in order to reach the status of legend for thousands of Mallorquinistas who adore him.
The destiny of brave people is always the result of an accumulation of coincidences and intuitions that one decides to follow or not. And Abdón has always followed them all. “When I was 14 years old I played for Artà, my local team. Through a friend I was able to meet the coach of Sallista de Inca, a higher-category team. They tried me out and it went well. Later I signed for CIDE. One day, playing for CIDE, the scouts from Mallorca came to see another player. But after that game, they signed me, and I played for several years in both the youth team and the first team’s reserve team. Until after a relegation, I left to play for Burgos.”
Burgos, in the north of Spain. One of the most beautiful and coldest cities in Spain. Abdón still remembers his arrival. “My mother and I took the boat to Barcelona, and from there we drove to Burgos. An amazing experience, my mother and I together, just the two of us in the car, on the way to the unknown, one of those moments you never forget.” [...]
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