Both clubs are, by far, the oldest in the capital of theBalearic Islands (the rest were founded from the mid-1960s) and have known an intense rivalry since the1920s, due to the social, economical, and political differences between their respective founders. WhileRCD Mallorca (then calledReal Sociedad Alfonso XIII FC afterKing Alfonso XIII) was led by the local upper class, who favoured theSpanish state,CD Atlético Baleares (then calledBaleares FC) was known as the club of the local working class and was formed byRepublicans.[1] This character is very diluted at present and both clubs are much more heterogeneous than in the beginning, but the foundational character is still very present when defining the rivalry between the supporter groups.
Their rivalry has remained very alive at street level, despite being clubs at very different sporting levels from the 1960s onwards - and especially since the 1980s, when Mallorca made a significant improvement and became a regular in thePrimera andSegunda Division, while Atlético Baleares remained in the lowerSegunda Division B andTercera División.[2]
The first edition of the Palma derby took place on the 13th of March 1921, between the second team ofAlfonso XIII and the first ofBaleares in the stadium ofBons Aires, property of Alfonso XIII. The match ended early because of a pitch battle between players and the public when Alfonso XIII was winning by 2 goals to 1.[3][4][5]
The rivalry has remained alive for more than a century despite the name changes of the two clubs.RCD Mallorca has been known asRS Alfonso XIII FC (1916-1931),CD Mallorca (1931-1949) andRCD Mallorca (since 1949).CD Atlético Baleares, on the other hand, has been known asBaleares FC (1920-1942),CD Atlético-Baleares (1942-1943), andCD Atlético Baleares (since 1943). The latter club is calledCE Atlètic Balears in the localMallorcan dialect ofCatalan.[1]
At insular level, for a time two clubs shared rivalry with a third team:CE Constància from the neighboring town ofInca, especially until the 1960s. In the other islands of the Balearic archipelago, the main rivals wereSD Ibiza (fromIbiza, the capital of thePityusic Islands) andUD Mahón (fromMahón, the capital ofMenorca). The aforementioned rise in sporting achievement that RCD Mallorca lived from the 1960s reduced all these rivalries to a minimum, except the one with Atlético Baleares.
The last derby, played in 2018 inSegunda División B, aroused great excitement and showed that the rivalry is still very much alive.[6]
Only clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (firstMallorca Atlético and currentlyRCD Mallorca B) are not included.
Only clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (firstMallorca Atlético and currentlyRCD Mallorca B) are not included.
Only clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (firstMallorca Atlético and currentlyRCD Mallorca B) are not included.
Amengual Salas, Vicenç (2021).Orsai: L'Atlètic Balears. Entre la sociologia i el futbol [Orsai. Atlètic Balears. Between sociology and football] (in Catalan). Palma: Illa Edicions.ISBN978-84-122255-4-9.
Borchers, Liam (2023).The Story of Atlètic Balears. Groningen: Lulu.ISBN978-1-4717-4271-2.
García Gargallo, Manuel (2018).Campeonatos regionales de Baleares. Orígenes y desarrollo 1900-1940 [Regional championships of the Balearic Islands. Origins and evolution 1900-1940] (in Spanish). Oviedo: CIHEFE.ISBN978-84-948698-6-0.
García Gargallo, Manuel (2013).Els orígens de l'Atlètic Balears (1920-1942). Dels inicis a la fusió [The origins of Atlètic Balears (1920-1942): From the beginnings to the fusion] (in Catalan). Barcelona: Lulu.
García Gargallo, Manuel (2020).L'Atlètic Balears (1920-1942): Els primers anys d'una entitat centenària [Atlètic Balears (1920-1942): The first years of a centenary entity] (in Catalan). Palma: Documenta Balear.ISBN978-84-18441-08-0.
Pasamontes, Juan Carlos (2005).R.S. Alfonso XIII. La cara oculta del Real CD Mallorca. 1916-1931 [R.S. Alfonso XIII. The hidden face of Real CD Mallorca. 1916-1931] (in Spanish). Palma: Edicions Cort.ISBN84-89034-81-8.
Salas Fuster, Antoni (2009).L'Atlètic Baleares. Una història de supervivència [Atlètic Balears. A history of survival] (in Catalan). Palma: Ingrama SA.ISBN978-84-85932-78-8. DL 272-2009.
Vidal Perelló, Miquel; Vidal Reynés, Jordi (2005).Història del RCD Mallorca (1916-2004) [History of RCD Mallorca (1916-2004)] (in Catalan). Palma: Documenta Balear.ISBN84-96376-16-8.
Vidal Perelló, Miquel; Vidal Reynés, Jordi (2016).Un siglo con el RCD Mallorca 1916-2016 [A century with RCD Mallorca 1916-2016] (in Spanish). Palma: Comisión Centenario del Real Mallorca.ISBN978-84-608-7936-7.