Honestly, I talked to this guy online who’s a die-hard Mallorca fan, and he said going to Madrid to play Real Madrid feels a bit like showing up at a superhero’s house party. The odds kind of feel stacked against them, with all the big money signings and a huge stadium. But he also said there’s this excitement about being the underdog—like, nobody expects you to win, so if you even get a draw or keep the score close, you’re a hero to your friends.

He told me their fans are used to being underestimated, so they show up at Santiago Bernabéu loud and proud even if it’s just a few hundred in the away section. There’s a real sense of pride in making the “big club” nervous, even for a minute. I remember watching a game where Mallorca just parked the bus and frustrated everyone in the stands; it wasn’t pretty, but the fans were loving it.

So, yeah, Mallorca fans know it’s a tough gig but they love that challenge, and pulling off a surprise feels like winning a trophy to them. That kind of passion is seriously cool in my opinion.