Rafa Mir

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Mir and the second or maternal family name is Vicente.
Rafa Mir
Personal information
Full name Rafael Mir Vicente
Date of birth (1997-06-18) 18 June 1997
Place of birth Murcia, Spain
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Valencia
Number 27
Youth career
Javalí Nuevo
2006–2007 ElPozo Murcia
2007–2009 Ranero
2009–2011 Barcelona
2011–2012 Murcia
2012– Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015– Valencia B 6 (1)
2015– Valencia 2 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 August 2016.


Rafael "Rafa" Mir Vicente (born 18 June 1997) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Valencia as a forward.

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.[1]

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.[1] 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.[2] 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 K.A.A. Gent.[3][4] On 14 November 2015, he was given his first start for the B-side, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–4 loss at another reserve team, Villarreal CF B.[5]

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;[6] he was an unused substitute in the 1–1 draw at the Mestalla Stadium.[7] He made his professional debut on 25 November, starting in a UEFA Champions League group stage match away to FC Zenit Saint Petersburg,[8] being substituted for Santi Mina in the 56th minute of an eventual 2–0 defeat.[9]

He made his top-flight debut against Las Palmas on 28 August, replacing Enzo Pérez for the final four minutes of a 2–4 home loss.[10]

Personal life

Mir, who idolised German forward Mario Gómez, is the son of former defender Magín Mir, whose clubs included RCD Mallorca and Murcia.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rafa Mir, el ´gigante´ de los mil goles del Valencia CF" [Rafa Mir, Valencia CF's 1000-goal 'giant'] (in Spanish). Superdeporte. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "El Mestalla sufre pero se impone" [Mestalla suffer but impose themselves] (in Spanish). Levante EMV. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Perfect Arsenal forge on in Youth League". UEFA. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Holders Chelsea assured of top-two finish". UEFA. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Viera gets the point for Las Palmas as Valencia are left frustrated". ESPN. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Rocha Rodrigues, Luís; Sousa, Vasco (24 November 2015). "Para sacudir a crise, Nuno estreia Rafa Mir, de 18 anos" [To end the crisis, Nuno chooses, Rafa Mir, 18] (in Portuguese). ZeroZero. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "Zenit stay perfect at Valencia's expense". UEFA. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "El Las Palmas desnuda al Valencia" [Las Palmas expose Valencia] (in Spanish). El Periódico. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.