Rafa Mir

Rafael Mir Vicente, known as Rafa Mir, (born 18 June 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Sevilla.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mir and the second or maternal family name is Vicente.
Rafa Mir
Personal information
Full name Rafael Mir Vicente[1]
Date of birth (1997-06-18) 18 June 1997
Place of birth Cartagena, Spain
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Sevilla
Number 9
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 63 (17)
International career
2018–2019 Spain U21 10 (5)
2021 Spain U23 7 (3)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA Euro U-21
Gold medal – first place2019 ItalyTeam
Representing  Spain
Summer Olympics
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoTeam
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 September 2023 (UTC)

Formed at Valencia where he was primarily a reserve, he also represented Huesca and Sevilla in La Liga. Abroad, he played in England's Championship for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest.

Mir won the 2019 European Championship with the Spain national under-21 football team, and a silver medal with the Olympic team at the 2020 tournament.

Club career

Early career

Born in Murcia, Mir began his career playing futsal with CD Javalí Nuevo. After a 120-goal spell at ElPozo Murcia FS he began playing full football with Ranero CF, scoring 57 and 84 goals in his respective seasons before joining FC Barcelona.[3]

Valencia

Mir's 32 goals at La Masia earned him a return to his native region and Real Murcia, where a 45-goal haul led to the attention of Valencia CF.[3] He made his senior debut for the reserves on 1 March 2015, as an 88th-minute substitute for Wilfried Zahibo in a 2–1 Segunda División B loss at CE L'Hospitalet.

Mir scored his first senior goal on 7 March 2015, netting the last in a 2–0 win over CF Badalona at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna.[4] He finished the campaign with four appearances, as his side narrowly avoided relegation.

The following season, Mir excelled in the UEFA Youth League, scoring consecutive braces in victories over Gent.[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 another reserve team, Villarreal CF B.[7]

On 24 November 2015, Mir was called up to the main squad by manager Nuno Espírito Santo for a La Liga game against UD Las Palmas;[8] he was an unused substitute in the 1–1 draw at the Mestalla Stadium.[9] He made his professional debut on 25 November, starting in a UEFA Champions League group stage match away to Zenit Saint Petersburg,[10] being substituted for Santi 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, replacing Enzo Pérez for the final four minutes of a 4–2 home loss.[12] He began the first half of the 2017–18 season for Valencia B in good form, scoring 15 goals in 19 games, attracting interest from Real Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers.[13]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 3 January 2018, Mir joined Championship club Wolverhampton 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 boss Nuno Espírito Santo, who gave him his first team debut at the club.[14] He made his debut three days later in the FA Cup third round at home to Swansea City, playing the last 13 minutes of a goalless draw in place of Léo Bonatini.[15]

On 23 July 2018, Mir joined Segunda División side UD Las Palmas on loan for one season.[16] A year later, he returned to the Championship, on loan to Nottingham Forest.[17] 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.[18]

Immediately following his departure from Nottingham, Mir was loaned to Segunda División side SD Huesca for 18 months.[19] He was sent off on 8 February 2020 in a 1–0 loss at Girona FC for elbowing Álex Granell and banned for one match.[20] On 17 July, he scored twice in a 3–0 home win over CD Numancia to win promotion to the top flight with a game remaining.[21]

On 15 December 2020, Mir scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 extra-time win over CD Marchamalo in the first round of the Copa del Rey.[22] The following 29 January, he netted another treble in a 3–1 victory at Real Valladolid.[23] He ended the league season with 13 goals, joint eighth-best.[24]

Sevilla

On 20 August 2021, Mir signed a six-year contract with Sevilla for a fee potentially rising to €16 million.[25] On 23 November 2021, he scored his first Champions League goal in the 97th minute of a 2–0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg.[26]

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.[27] The move collapsed for financial reasons, and a late approach by A.C. Milan for a loan with obligatory purchase was rejected due to a lack of remaining forwards at Sevilla.[28]

International career

On 29 June 2021, Mir was named in the 22-man squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics by manager Luis de la Fuente.[29] On 31 July, he scored an injury-time equaliser against the Ivory 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.[30]

Personal life

Mir, who idolised German forward Mario Gómez, is the son of former defender Magín Mir, whose clubs included RCD Mallorca and Murcia.[3]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 16 August 2023[31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Valencia B 2014–15 Segunda División B 41————41
2015–16 Segunda División B 20————20
2016–17 Segunda División B 359————359
2017–18 Segunda División B 1915————1915
Total 6025000000006025
Valencia 2015–16 La Liga 0010———10
2016–17 La Liga 2030———50
Total 204000000060
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2017–18 Championship 2020———40
2018–19 Premier League 000000——00
Total 202000000040
Las Palmas (loan) 2018–19 Segunda División 30700———307
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2019–20 Championship 1100020——130
Huesca (loan) 2019–20 Segunda División 18900———189
2020–21 La Liga 381313———3916
Total 5622130000005725
Sevilla 2021–22 La Liga 341042—91—4713
2022–23 La Liga 26641—61—368
2023–24 La Liga 1100—001021
Total 61178300152108522
Career total 22271156201521025579

Honours

Huesca

Sevilla

Spain U21

Spain U23

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Nottingham Forest" (PDF). English Football League. p. 49. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. "Rafa Mir". Sevilla FC. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  3. "Rafa Mir, el ´gigante´ de los mil goles del Valencia CF" [Rafa Mir, Valencia CF's 1000-goal 'giant'] (in Spanish). Super Deporte. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  4. "El Mestalla sufre pero se impone" [Mestalla suffer but impose themselves] (in Spanish). Levante EMV. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  5. "Perfect Arsenal forge on in Youth League". UEFA. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  6. "Holders Chelsea assured of top-two finish". UEFA. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  7. "El Valencia Mestalla naufraga ante el Villarreal B" [Valencia Mestalla sink against Villarreal B] (in Spanish). Super Deporte. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  8. Gimeno, Manu (20 November 2015). "Nuno se lleva a Rafa Mir y recupera a pesos pesados" [Nuno brings in Rafa Mir and regains heavyweights] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  9. "Viera gets the point for Las Palmas as Valencia are left frustrated". ESPN. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. Rocha Rodrigues, Luís; Sousa, Vasco (24 November 2015). "Para sacudir a crise, Nuno estreia Rafa Mir, de 18 anos" [To end the crisis, Nuno fives a debut to Rafa Mir, 18] (in Portuguese). ZeroZero. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  11. "Zenit stay perfect at Valencia's expense". UEFA. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  12. "El Las Palmas desnuda al Valencia" [Las Palmas expose Valencia] (in Spanish). El Periódico. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  13. "Wolves close to signing Rafa Mir from Valencia". Sky Sports. 3 January 2018.
  14. "Welcome Rafa". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 3 January 2018.
  15. Dicken, Alex (10 January 2018). "Rafa Mir scouting report: How the Wolves new boy's brief but eventful debut unfolded". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  16. "Mir Departs Molineux On Loan". Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  17. "Rafa Mir: Nottingham Forest sign Wolves striker on season-long loan". BBC. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  18. Clapson, Sarah (14 January 2020). "Breaking: Flop leaves Nottingham Forest as loan spell is terminated". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  19. Puyuelo, Jorge (24 August 2020). "Rafa Mir será el '9' del Huesca" [Rafa Mir will be Huesca's '9']. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  20. Ralla, Emilio (12 February 2020). "La sanción a Rafa Mir se queda en un partido" [Rafa Mir's punishment stays at one match]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  21. Delgado, José Domingo (17 July 2020). "Rafa Mir lleva a la SD Huesca a Primera y hunde al Numancia" [Rafa Mir takes SD Huesca to Primera and sinks Numancia] (in Spanish). Be Soccer. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  22. Añover Ortiz, Antonio (15 December 2020). "CD Marchamalo 2-3 SD Huesca: Rafa Mir evita la sorpresa del Marchamalo" [CD Marchamalo 2-3 SD Huesca: Rafa Mir avoids Marchamalo surprise] (in Spanish). Grada 3. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  23. "Rafa Mir Shines With Hat Trick To Give Huesca Win Over Valladolid". beIN Sports. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  24. "Por quinto año, Messi se corona como el goleador liguero" [For fifth year, Messi is crowned league top scorer]. El Nuevo Siglo (in Spanish). 28 May 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  25. "Oficial: Rafa Mir, nuevo jugador del Sevilla" [Official: Rafa Mir, new Sevilla player]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  26. "Sevilla 2–0 Wolfsburg". UEFA. 23 November 2021.
  27. "El Sevilla pide cinco millones para dejar salir a Rafa Mir" [Sevilla ask for five million to let Rafa Mir go]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). 19 July 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  28. Florido, E. (1 September 2023). "El Sevilla rechaza la oferta del Milan por Rafa Mir, negociación rota" [Sevilla reject Milan's offer for Rafa Mir, negotiations broken down]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  29. "Spain Names Six From Euro Squad to Olympic Roster". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  30. "Rafa Mir scores hat-trick as Spain overpower Ivory Coast in extra time to reach semi-finals". Sky Sports. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  31. "Rafa Mir". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  32. Lowe, Sid (31 May 2023). "Montiel edges Sevilla to seventh Europa League triumph with win over Roma". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  33. "Manchester City 1–1(5-4p) Sevilla". 17 August 2023.
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