Omar Mascarell interview: How Derby County loan shaped Mallorca and Equatorial Guinea midfielder’s career | Football News happymamay

Mallorca midfielder Omar Mascarell prepares to face his former club Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, a team with which he made his top-flight debut under Jose Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu more than a decade ago.

But it is another football club that he still credits with helping him develop into the player he is today, a player who won the German Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt and saw the Champions League with Schalke. This club is Derby County.

There, when a young man fell into the mud and nettles of a tournament, Mascarell was forced to grow up quickly. Football was the least of his problems. “I just remember it getting dark at four in the afternoon,” he says. Sky Sports.

“I’m in Mallorca now and it’s 18 degrees and it’s sunny in January, but I’m originally from the Canary Islands and the weather there is better than here in Mallorca. So it was a big difference for me. I was very young, alone and didn’t speak English.”

The signing of Mascarell on loan from Real Madrid caused a sensation in Steve McClaren’s derby in 2014. It went well. They were equal on points at the top of the table when he was injured last March, but they collapsed in his absence and finished eighth.

He still has good memories. “I was lucky because I joined a very good club. They put me with a teacher from the first moment to learn English as quickly as possible. I also had very good teammates who helped me a lot.” One, in particular, stands out in Mascarell’s mind.

“Jeff Hendrick,” he says, smiling. “He was always there for me, even when I didn’t speak English. He took me into his house and tried to help me improve every day. Truly, he is a great person. I remember him with a big heart. I still do.” In touch sometimes.”

He adds: “We played together in midfield and I learned a lot. I was at Real Madrid where everything was with the ball, more tactical. When I arrived in England, it was very physical. The ball would go one way and then go.” The other, it was much faster.

“He had a big impact on me. I’ve improved as a player and as a person. I always think that maybe one day I should go back there to relive the memories, you know. But, definitely, I’ve grown a lot.” “Last season I was a better player when I went to Germany.”

Mascarell had many great moments in the Bundesliga, the most important of which was the 2018 Cup Final victory over Bayern Munich. “That was great and my level was really high.” At Schalke, he was part of the 4-2 win over rivals Borussia Dortmund. “We had a great team.”

But this next chapter in Mallorca may be even more surprising. They qualified for the Spanish Super Cup by reaching the cup final last season, losing to Athletic Bilbao, but it turns out that run has been no stranger. Mallorca is in better shape this time.

Under new coach Jagoba Arrasate, who did a good job at Osasuna, the team reached sixth place in La Liga this season, a significant improvement from last season’s 15th place. “It’s a great season we’re having,” explains Mascarell. “I think we’re growing as a club.”

“Last season in the league was not good. We saved the season by reaching the final. But this season, from the beginning, everything changed. We started winning matches. I think the players feel free and changed.” [of coach] It was good for everyone.

“He changed the system. Last season, we always played with five players in defence. Now, we play in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3. It’s a small difference but it gives us more freedom and allows us to play in a 4-2- 3-1 or 4-3-3. We have to be a little more attacking, the season is long but we are positive.”

If the changes in Mallorca were subtle, the transformation in Mascarell’s life and career came at international level. The former Spain youth international is eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea through his grandfather. In June, he finally took that step.

“I’ve been in contact with them for a long time. In recent years, I’ve been thinking about whether or not to do it. I had a friend from staff who told me it would be great for me. I was 31 and decided it was now or never, It was one of the best decisions of my career.

“It was a completely different experience for me, completely different from what I live every day here. For me, it is very important as a person to be in Africa, and see how people live there. It is special. It took me a long time.” “It took a long time to make the decision, but I thank God that I said yes.”

Mascarell has already been rewarded with a magical moment as Equatorial Guinea confirmed their place in the Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Morocco in December. “I’ve seen the kids and how happy they are, that’s everything to them,” he says.

“When I was there and we had the celebrations and when you see one country united, and the happiness that is there, we were like champions. It was great. We will be in Morocco, so we are very happy about that. I think we can do something good there.”

Before then, there is a chance to make more history with Mallorca. To lift the cup, they must beat the winner of Barcelona and Athletic in the final. But first, there is the challenge of eliminating European champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

“We can’t wait,” Mascarell says. “We are playing against Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world. We know it is difficult but it is a big opportunity for us, a big opportunity for us to play for the title. We know we have what we have.” A chance to win.”

Mallorca tied with Real Madrid in La Liga in August, so there is hope. He adds: “We had a great match then. Of course, we have a chance. They have great players but if they want to beat us, they will have to play well because we will fight and give everything we can.”

He added, “I don’t know if we will win or not, but we are like a family. We are together.” An international from Equatorial Guinea, born in Spain, who plays for a team from the Balearic Islands in Saudi Arabia, once again drawing on his experiences as a youth at Derby County.