I Am Jose

Drogba was ecstatic after scoring the goal. Although he had scored in his first official match for Mallorca, he had barely seen any playing time over the following half-season. He understood that José was doing it for his own good, but as a professional player, going too long without matches made him feel like his body was rusting away.

Now, coming off the bench and scoring immediately, Drogba was overwhelmed with excitement. What thrilled him even more was how instinctively he had placed his header on target—without even consciously aiming. This made him realize that all the hard training over the past six months had paid off!

That feeling of growth was even more satisfying than the goal itself.

"I'm not just a target man up front; I'm a striker who can score goals!"

The difference between a workhorse striker and a goal-scoring striker was massive. While many teams needed hardworking strikers, they were never as valuable as those who could consistently find the net. The disparity in importance translated directly into status and salary.

Drogba had originally been more of a workhorse striker, as his stats from Le Mans showed—just seven goals in over fifty matches. His goal-scoring efficiency was comparable to Emile Heskey, who was often mocked by English fans in later years. However, if a player like Drogba could evolve into a prolific goal-scorer while still retaining his workhorse qualities, his value would skyrocket. That was exactly the kind of player Drogba became at Chelsea—both a tactical focal point and a clinical finisher, essentially doing the work of two players.

José's vision was for Drogba to surpass even that future version of himself. He pictured a frontline of Drogba and Eto'o, with Ronaldinho dancing behind them—a terrifying attacking trio that made his mouth water just thinking about it.

The match ended in a resounding 4-0 victory for Mallorca, marking their most dominant away performance of the season. After a shaky start to the campaign, they were now roaring back into form, scoring seven goals in two matches without conceding.

Over the past few seasons, Alavés had been one of Mallorca's biggest victims. Last season, they had suffered a double defeat to Mallorca, conceding four goals in each match. This season, history repeated itself—another double loss, another four-goal beating at home. By now, Alavés had developed a psychological block whenever they faced Mallorca.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid was beginning to show signs of inconsistency. After being held to a draw in the previous round, they again failed to win, drawing 1-1 at home against Real Betis. This allowed Mallorca to reclaim the top spot in the league with a two-point lead while also opening up a five-point gap over third and fourth place.

"Whenever Mallorca faces a crucial match, they always seem to rise to the occasion. This has become part of the team's identity. In consecutive matches, they've faced the third-placed team in the standings and won convincingly both times! This proves that Mallorca is no longer just a dark horse but a legitimate powerhouse. They may still have moments of inconsistency, but that only means they have even more room for growth!"

"Before playing Mallorca, Athletic Bilbao was third in the standings. Now, they've dropped to seventh. Before playing Mallorca, Alavés was third. Now, they've fallen to sixth. Mallorca has knocked two third-placed teams off their perch in consecutive matches, and their next opponent in the league is Celta Vigo. Interestingly, Celta currently holds third place as well, tied on points with Deportivo La Coruña but ahead on goal difference. Will Mallorca crush them too? If they do, maybe we should start calling them 'The Third-Place Killers'..."