Mallorca’s Cyle Larin: ‘Some players dive with the pressure but I like it’
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Club’s top scorer has his sights set on the Spanish Super Cup but harbours ambitions of playing in the Premier League. “Pair of extra socks, pair of extra boxers”, and that, Cyle Larin says, is pretty much that. Well, it is normally. This time, it is a little different. There is a smile and Real Mallorca’s top scorer this season, Canada’s top scorer of all time, says: “Win that first game and you got to stay longer.”.
![[Sid Lowe]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/05/25/Sid_Lowe,_L.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
More boxers, more socks, maybe more history too. Win that first game, Thursday night’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final, and they will still be there on Sunday night, 5,000km from home and 90 minutes from the third trophy in their 108 years. For Spain’s biggest clubs the Super Cup is not a priority even though it was made for them, two more games and many more miles in a calendar that already has enough of them, and played in Saudi Arabia, an aberration that has been normalised. For Mallorca, it is a bit different and the reason is simple. “It’s a trophy,” Larin says. “We went to a cup final and didn’t win. Now we go there to potentially win one.
![[Cyle Larin (left) celebrates after scoring the only goal in the win at Getafe last month.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d8bc27a7175f7e26c2e3f9effe936b47085ba01d/143_167_1934_1161/master/1934.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“Being there is important to players, the club and the fans. You’re playing the world’s best and that’s important for me too.”. Cup winners in 2003, Mallorca won the Super Cup in 1998 but have lost five finals, including a Cup Winners’ Cup at Villa Park in 1999 and last year’s Copa del Rey on penalties. That hurt but it came with access to another cup where they could meet Athletic Club again in the final or Barcelona – if they beat Real Madrid.
![[Larin goes past Alexis Mac Allister in last year’s Copa América semi-final]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e6965e498b67a3e2e4272db7d9c9f7bfcaeeace0/0_127_2629_1578/master/2629.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
