The rivalry between RCD Mallorca and CD Atlético Baleares, known as the Palma derby (Catalan: derbi palmesà, Spanish: derbi palmesano), is the derby between the main football clubs in Palma de Mallorca (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain).

History

Both clubs are, by far, the oldest in the capital of the Balearic Islands (the rest were founded from the mid-1960s) and have known an intense rivalry since the 1920s, due to the social, economical, and political differences between their respective founders. While RCD Mallorca (then called Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII FC after King Alfonso XIII) was led by the local upper class, who favoured the Spanish state, CD Atlético Baleares (then called Baleares FC) was known as the club of the local working class and was formed by Republicans. 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 the Primera and Segunda Division, while Atlético Baleares remained in the lower Segunda Division B and Tercera División.

The first edition of the Palma derby took place on the 13th of March 1921, between the second team of Alfonso XIII and the first of Baleares in the stadium of Bons 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.

The rivalry has remained alive for more than a century despite the name changes of the two clubs. RCD Mallorca has been known as RS Alfonso XIII FC (1916-1931), CD Mallorca (1931-1949) and RCD Mallorca (since 1949). CD Atlético Baleares, on the other hand, has been known as Baleares FC (1920-1942), CD Atlético-Baleares (1942-1943), and CD Atlético Baleares (since 1943). The latter club is called CE Atlètic Balears in the local Mallorcan dialect of Catalan.

At insular level, for a time two clubs shared rivalry with a third team: CE Constància from the neighboring town of Inca, especially until the 1960s. In the other islands of the Balearic archipelago, the main rivals were SD Ibiza (from Ibiza, the capital of the Pityusic Islands) and UD Mahón (from Mahón, the capital of Menorca). 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 in Segunda División B, aroused great excitement and showed that the rivalry is still very much alive.

League matches

Only clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (first Mallorca Atlético and currently RCD Mallorca B) are not included.

Season Category Stadium Home team Score Away team Comments 1923–24 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC 4 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 0 – 1 RS Alfonso XIII FC — 1924–25 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC 1 – 0 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 0 RS Alfonso XIII FC — 1925–26 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 2 RS Alfonso XIII FC — Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC — Baleares FC It was not disputed when the competition was split mid-season. Baleares FC left the Balearic Federation 1926–27 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 0 – 1 RS Alfonso XIII FC — Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC 3 – 0 Baleares FC — 1927–28 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca It was not disputed when the competition was split before the season began. RS Alfonso XIII FC left the Balearic Federation 1928–29 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 3 RS Alfonso XIII FC — Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC 2 – 0 Baleares FC — 1929–30 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 0 – 4 RS Alfonso XIII FC — Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC 4 – 1 Baleares FC — 1930–31 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires RS Alfonso XIII FC 2 – 0 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 0 RS Alfonso XIII FC — 1931–32 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires CD Mallorca 1 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 1 CD Mallorca — 1932–33 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires CD Mallorca 4 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 1 CD Mallorca — 1933–34 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 0 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires CD Mallorca 1 – 1 Baleares FC — 1934–35 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 0 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires CD Mallorca 0 – 2 Baleares FC — 1935–36 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires CD Mallorca 2 – 2 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 0 CD Mallorca — 1936–37 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires CD Mallorca 7 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 4 CD Mallorca — 1937–38 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires CD Mallorca 2 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 1 CD Mallorca — 1938–39 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca CD Mallorca did not compete this season to have much of the workforce mobilized in Spanish Civil War 1939–40 Campeonato Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 4 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires CD Mallorca 3 – 0 Baleares FC — 1940–41 Primera Regional de Mallorca Bons Aires CD Mallorca 2 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals Baleares FC 1 – 3 CD Mallorca — 1941–42 Primera Regional de Mallorca Son Canals Baleares FC 2 – 3 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires CD Mallorca 1 – 0 Baleares FC — 1942–43 Primera Regional de Mallorca Son Canals At. Baleares 3 – 3 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires CD Mallorca 6 – 1 At. Baleares — 1943–44 Tercera División, group IV Bons Aires CD Mallorca 1 – 1 At. Baleares — Son Canals At. Baleares 0 – 2 CD Mallorca — 1948–49 Tercera División, group III Es Fortí CD Mallorca 2 – 1 At. Baleares — Son Canals At. Baleares 2 – 0 CD Mallorca — 1951–52 Segunda División, group II Son Canals At. Baleares 0 – 2 RCD Mallorca — Es Fortí RCD Mallorca 2 – 0 At. Baleares — 1952–53 Segunda División, group II Es Fortí RCD Mallorca 1 – 1 At. Baleares — Son Canals At. Baleares 1 – 1 RCD Mallorca — 1954–55 Tercera División, group VIII Es Fortí RCD Mallorca 3 – 2 At. Baleares — Son Canals At. Baleares 1 – 2 RCD Mallorca — 1955–56 Tercera División, group VIII Son Canals At. Baleares 3 – 2 RCD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 2 – 2 At. Baleares — 1956–57 Tercera División, group VIII Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 1 – 1 At. Baleares — Son Canals At. Baleares 0 – 3 RCD Mallorca — 1957–58 Tercera División, group VIII Son Canals At. Baleares 1 – 2 RCD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 1 – 1 At. Baleares — 1958–59 Tercera División, group VIII Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 1 – 0 At. Baleares — Son Canals At. Baleares 0 – 0 RCD Mallorca — 1975–76 Tercera División, group III Estadi Balear At. Baleares 3 – 1 RCD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 0 – 0 At. Baleares — 1976–77 Tercera División, group III Estadi Balear At. Baleares 2 – 0 RCD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 1 – 1 At. Baleares — 1977–78 Segunda División B, group II Estadi Balear At. Baleares 2 – 1 RCD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 1 – 0 At. Baleares — 1978–79 Tercera División, group V Estadi Balear At. Baleares 0 – 0 RCD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 2 – 1 At. Baleares — 1979–80 Tercera División, group VIII Estadi Balear At. Baleares 0 – 2 CD Mallorca — Lluís Sitjar RCD Mallorca 1 – 1 At. Baleares — 2017–18 Segunda División B, group III Son Malferit At. Baleares 0 – 0 RCD Mallorca — Son Moix RCD Mallorca 3 – 2 At. Baleares —

Copa del Rey Only clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (first Mallorca Atlético and currently RCD Mallorca B) are not included.

Season Stadium Round Home team Score Away team Comments 1948–49 Es Fortí 1st round CD Mallorca 1 – 0 At. Baleares Single match 1986–87 Estadi Balear Round of 32 At. Baleares 2 – 4 RCD Mallorca Single match

Other tournaments Only clashes between first teams are listed. Therefore, the confrontations of Atlético Baleares against the RCD Mallorca subsidiaries (first Mallorca Atlético and currently RCD Mallorca B) are not included.

Season Tournament Stadium Round Home Team Score Away team Comments 1921 Copa Ayuntamiento de Palma Bons Aires Single round RS Alfonso XIII FC 4 – 0 Baleares FC Competition organized by Palma City Council 1933–34 Copa Presidente de la República Son Canals — Baleares FC 1 – 3 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires — CD Mallorca 4 – 0 Baleares FC — 1934–35 Copa Presidente de la República Bons Aires — CD Mallorca 1 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals — Baleares FC 3 – 3 CD Mallorca — 1935–36 Copa Presidente de la República Son Canals — Baleares FC 0 – 0 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires — CD Mallorca 1 – 1 Baleares FC — 1937–38 Liga Mallorca Son Canals — Baleares FC 0 – 6 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires — CD Mallorca — Baleares FC Suspended by withdrawal of the CD Mallorca from the competition 1939–40 Liga Mallorca Bons Aires — CD Mallorca 1 – 1 Baleares FC — Son Canals — Baleares FC 1 – 5 CD Mallorca — 1940–41 Liga Mallorca Son Canals — Baleares FC 0 – 6 CD Mallorca — Bons Aires — CD Mallorca 5 – 1 Baleares FC — 1952–53 Copa RFEF Es Fortí 2nd round RCD Mallorca 4 – 2 Baleares FC — Son Canals 2nd round Baleares FC 1 – 1 RCD Mallorca — 1971 Nicolau Brondo Trophy Estadi Balear Single match At. Baleares 0 – 1 RCD Mallorca — 1972 Nicolau Brondo Trophy Estadi Balear Single match At. Baleares 1 – 4 RCD Mallorca — 1984 Nicolau Brondo Trophy Estadi Balear Single match At. Baleares 0 – 1 RCD Mallorca — 1985 Nicolau Brondo Trophy Estadi Balear Single match At. Baleares 1 – 2 RCD Mallorca — 1993 Friendly Estadi Balear Single match At. Baleares 0 – 6 RCD Mallorca Commemoration 50 years merger CD Atlético Baleares 1994 Nicolau Brondo Trophy Estadi Balear Single match At. Baleares 1 – 1 (*) RCD Mallorca — 2008 Illes Balears Trophy Bintaufa, Mahón Semi-finals RCD Mallorca 4 – 2 At. Baleares —

(*) RCD Mallorca won on penalties.

Bibliography

References