| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Mir Vicente[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1997-06-18)18 June 1997 (age 27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cartagena, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Valencia (on loan fromSevilla) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Javalí Nuevo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | ElPozo Murcia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Ranero | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Murcia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Valencia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Valencia B | 60 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Valencia | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | →Las Palmas (loan) | 30 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | →Nottingham Forest (loan) | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | →Huesca (loan) | 56 | (22) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Sevilla | 75 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | →Valencia (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Spain U21 | 10 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Spain U23 | 7 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:11, 15 March 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rafael Mir Vicente, known asRafa Mir, (born 18 June 1997) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forLa Liga clubValencia, on loan fromSevilla.
Formed atValencia where he was primarily areserve, he also representedHuesca andSevilla inLa Liga. Abroad, he played in England'sChampionship forWolverhampton Wanderers andNottingham Forest.
Mir won the2019 European Championship with theSpain national under-21 football team, and a silver medal with theOlympic team at the2020 tournament.
Born inMurcia, Mir began his career playingfutsal with CD Javalí Nuevo. After a 120-goal spell atElPozo Murcia FS he began playing full football with Ranero CF, scoring 57 and 84 goals in his respective seasons before joiningFC Barcelona.[3]
Mir's 32 goals atLa Masia earned him a return to hisnative region andReal Murcia, where a 45-goal haul led to the attention ofValencia CF.[3] He made his senior debut forthe reserves on 1 March 2015, as an 88th-minutesubstitute forWilfried Zahibo in a 2–1Segunda División B loss atCE L'Hospitalet.
Mir scored his first senior goal on 7 March 2015, netting the last in a 2–0 win overCF Badalona at theCiudad Deportiva de Paterna.[4] He finishedthe campaign with four appearances, as his side narrowly avoided relegation.
The following season, in theUEFA Youth League, Mir scored consecutive braces in victories overGent.[5][6] On 14 November 2015, he was given his first start for the B-side, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–2 loss at anotherreserve team,Villarreal CF B.[7]
On 24 November 2015, Mir was called up to the main squad by managerNuno Espírito Santo for aLa Liga game againstUD Las Palmas;[8] he was an unused substitute in the 1–1 draw at theMestalla Stadium.[9] He made his professional debut on 25 November, starting in aUEFA Champions League group stage match away toZenit Saint Petersburg,[10] being substituted forSanti Mina in the 56th minute of an eventual 2–0 defeat.[11]
Mir made his top-flight debut against Las Palmas on 28 August 2016, replacingEnzo Pérez for the final four minutes of a 4–2 home loss.[12] On 24 April 2017, he was hit by a car, but it did not negatively affect his career.[13]
Mir again spent the 2017–18 preseason with the first team ofMarcelino García Toral, but with only one year left on his contract and not accepting the renewal offer proposed by the club,[14][15] a way out began to be sought for the player, who had also received important offers.[16] The doors of the first team were completely closed to him.[17] He began the first half of the 2017–18 season for Valencia B in good form, scoring 15 goals in 19 games, attracting interest fromReal Madrid andWolverhampton Wanderers.[18]
On 3 January 2018, Mir joinedChampionship clubWolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club and taking the number 9 shirt. He linked up with former Valencia bossNuno Espírito Santo, who gave him his first team debut at the club.[19] He made his debut three days later in theFA Cup third round at home toSwansea City, playing the last 13 minutes of a goalless draw in place ofLéo Bonatini.[20]
On 23 July 2018, Mir joinedSegunda División sideUD Las Palmas on loan for one season.[21] A year later, he returned to the Championship, on loan toNottingham Forest.[22] After struggling for both minutes and goals with Forest, Mir and Forest agreed for him to return to his parent club on 14 January 2020.[23]
Immediately following his departure from Nottingham, Mir was loaned toSegunda División sideSD Huesca for 18 months.[24] He was sent off on 8 February 2020 in a 1–0 loss atGirona FC for elbowingÁlex Granell and banned for one match.[25] On 17 July, he scored twice in a 3–0 home win overCD Numancia to win promotion to the top flight with a game remaining.[26]
On 15 December 2020, Mir scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 extra-time win overCD Marchamalo in the first round of the Copa del Rey.[27] The following 29 January, he netted another treble in a 3–1 victory atReal Valladolid.[28] He ended the league season with 13 goals, joint eighth-best.[29]
On 20 August 2021, Mir signed a six-year contract withSevilla for a fee potentially rising to €16 million.[30] On 23 November 2021, he scored his firstChampions League goal in the 97th minute of a 2–0 victory overVfL Wolfsburg.[31]
Mir was approached by Valencia to return on loan for a €5 million fee in July 2023, with the club also taking on his €2 million salary and Sevilla's €3 million conditional payment to Wolverhampton.[32] The move collapsed for financial reasons, and a late approach byA.C. Milan for a loan with obligatory purchase was rejected due to a lack of remaining forwards at Sevilla.[33]
On 11 July 2024, Mir returned to boyhood club Valencia on loan, with a buyout clause of €5 million.[34]
On 29 June 2021, Mir was named in the22-man squad for the2020 Summer Olympics by managerLuis de la Fuente.[35] On 31 July, he scored an injury-time equaliser against theIvory Coast to take their quarter-final to extra-time, in which he added two further goals to complete a hat-trick as Spain won 5–2.[36]
Mir, who idolised German forwardMario Gómez, is the son of former defenderMagín Mir, whose clubs includedRCD Mallorca and Murcia.[3]
On 3 September 2024, Mir was arrested by police on suspicion of sexual assault.[37]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valencia B | 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Segunda División B | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2016–17 | Segunda División B | 35 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 35 | 9 | |||||
| 2017–18 | Segunda División B | 19 | 15 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 15 | |||||
| Total | 60 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 25 | ||
| Valencia | 2015–16 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2017–18 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Las Palmas (loan) | 2018–19 | Segunda División | 30 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 7 | |||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2019–20 | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Huesca (loan) | 2019–20 | Segunda División | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 9 | |||
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 38 | 13 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | 39 | 16 | ||||
| Total | 56 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 25 | ||
| Sevilla | 2021–22 | La Liga | 34 | 10 | 4 | 2 | — | 9[c] | 1 | — | 47 | 13 | ||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 26 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | 6[d] | 1 | — | 36 | 8 | |||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 15 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 22 | 3 | ||
| Total | 75 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 24 | ||
| Valencia (loan) | 2024–25 | La Liga | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 246 | 72 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 287 | 82 | ||
Huesca
Sevilla
Spain U21
Spain U23
