Mallorca traditionally play in red shirts with black shorts and socks.
History
The early years
Founded on 5 March 1916, what would later become RCD Mallorca was registered at the Spanish Football Federation under the name of Alfonso XIII Foot-Ball Club.
Weeks after its establishment, the club wasted little time forming the directors of Alfonso XIII FBC, headed by engineer Adolfo Vázquez Humasqué and eight other football fans. Their first stadium, the Buenos Aires field, was inaugurated with a competitive fixture against FC Barcelona just 20 days after registering further fast-tracked development. Despite the fixture ending in a disappointing 8–0 defeat, it was not long before King Alfonso XIII himself requested the royal adoption of ‘Real’ in the team's title, therefore becoming Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII Foot-Ball Club.
RCD Mallorca first match on 25 March 1916 against FC Barcelona reserve team.Founding charter of Alfonso XIII Football Club in 1916.
In 1917, the Catalan Federation granted Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII admission into the second-tier league championship as an unofficial champion of the Balearic Islands. Booking a place in the final, Los Bermellones went on to record their first title with a resounding 3–1 victory over Futbol Club Palafrugell, in Barcelona.
Until the 1930s, the board of directors managed to organise fixtures against peninsular clubs such as RCD Espanyol and Real Murcia, while also hosting rare exhibitions against foreign sides including: Ajax in 1923, Uruguay's national team in 1925, Chilean outfit Colo-Colo in 1927 and one of the Czech Republic's oldest teams, Prague Meteor, in 1930, the latter under coach Jack Greenwell, and with Antolín Arnau, Felipe Ferrer, and Pedro Pizá among its players.[2]
In 1931, following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic which prohibited any form of reference to monarchy, the club was renamed to Club Deportivo Mallorca.
Although major fixtures and competitions across Spain were soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, the squad enjoyed a highly successful spell by winning every possible championship they entered into, as football on the island remained resistant to the deferral experienced throughout the country. When the war finally ended, matches with teams from the Peninsula were quick to resume and the Second Division was inaugurated, based on five groups of eight teams each.
It was during a period in the Second Division that, on 22 September 1945, the time had come to wave goodbye to Buenos Aires Field and up sticks to Es Fortí, a 16,000-maximum capacity stadium which would be called home for over half a century and undergo several expansions. A line-up featuring forward Sebastián Pocoví, defender Saturnino Grech and goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets beat Jerez 3–0 on the opening game of the new campaign the following day, with Carlos Sanz scoring Es Fortí's first goal in front of packed-out terraces. The title Es Fortí was short-lived however, with the board later changing the name of the stadium to Lluís Sitjar, in honour of the man who had driven the construction of the field.
During the 1949–1950 season, the Balearic club recovered their "Real" title, becoming Real Club Deportivo Mallorca
1960–1990
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)
1990s and 2000s: Peak
Chart of RCD Mallorca league performance 1929-2023
Mallorca was relegated from La Liga on the last day of the 2012–13 season.[8] In January 2016, with the team at risk of relegation to the third tier, American investor Robert Sarver and former NBA player Steve Nash bought the club for just over €20 million.[9]
On 4 June 2017, Mallorca fell into the third tier for the first time since 1981, with one game of the season still to play.[10] A year later, they bounced back in the 2017–18 season after winning the play-off final against CF Rayo Majadahonda, under new manager Vicente Moreno.[11] In June 2019, Mallorca secured a second consecutive promotion to the 2019–20 La Liga, following a 3–2 win on aggregate over Deportivo de La Coruña in the 2019 Segunda División play-offs – having lost the first game 2–0.[12] However, they were relegated a year later.[13] A year later, Mallorca bounced back to the top tier following an Almería defeat to Cartagena.[14] In 2024, Mallorca reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time since last winning the competition in 2003.