On June 30, after Mallorca's 3-2 victory over Real Zaragoza, securing the club's first-ever Copa del Rey, the 2000-2001 Spanish football season officially ca to an end—the first season of the new century was over.
Upon their return to Mallorca, the entire team received a hero's welco, an even grander reception than when they won the UEFA Cup last year. Back then, José's back injury ant he had to be carried off the plane on a stretcher, which drew more attention than the victory itself, sowhat overshadowing the joy of winning the UEFA Cup. But this ti, things were different.
Thousands of Mallorca fans lined up outside the airport, waiting to welco their team ho. As the squad boarded the team bus, the celebrations erupted into a frenzy. Fans chanted the players' nas, especially José's, expressing their overwhelming joy.
The players were equally ecstatic. Despite the exhaustion from a long and grueling season, they no longer cared about fatigue at this mont—all they wanted was to celebrate properly before heading off for a well-deserved holiday.
While players from other leagues had been on break for nearly a month, and even other La Liga teams had been resting for ten days, Mallorca's season had just wrapped up. It was undoubtedly tough on them, so José granted the team a full month off. They only needed to report back on August 1—less ti off than so clubs, but still a reasonable break.
This was made possible by their own hard work—finishing in the top two ant they had secured direct qualification for the Champions League group stage, avoiding the need for qualifiers. The first round of La Liga was scheduled for August 26, and José planned to use the Spanish Super Cup as a testing ground for tactics rather than pushing his players into an imdiate high-stakes competition. Giving them proper rest now would benefit their performance in the coming season.
José also needed to start planning ahead—Mallorca was about to enter the Champions League for the first ti, and he knew how crucial their performance in the tournant would be. Beyond the financial rewards, a strong showing in the Champions League would enhance the club's reputation and appeal, sothing José valued even more.
To succeed in Europe, the team needed better players, which ant investing in new signings and spending in the transfer market.
However, José wasn't too worried about this. Mallorca already had several promising players, and the squad didn't have any major weaknesses. While so departures were possible in the sumr, key players were unlikely to leave—José wouldn't let them go.
Financially, the club was in a relatively stable position. Since they had secured Champions League qualification, they would receive broadcasting revenue for the first group stage before the new season even started. Combined with La Liga's TV rights inco, José wasn't sure if Mallorca would turn a profit, but at the very least, they wouldn't be running a deficit this season.
Right now, José wasn't thinking about finances or transfers—he was far more interested in what kind of reward he would receive for completing his latest task.
He had been anticipating this for a long ti. Ever since accepting the task, he had been pondering the purpose of the system—this mission-assigning chanism. If the goal was to turn Mallorca into a football powerhouse, then the rewards had to be closely tied to that objective. But what exactly would he receive?
Money? José already had plenty—enough to sustain a club for several years. With over a hundred million in cash, even so well-established clubs would be envious.
Players? He didn't feel he needed help in this area. He had full confidence in his coaching ability, knew top talents from major teams inside out, and, most importantly, his reincarnation itself was his biggest advantage. He already knew which young players would develop into world-class stars.
Club facilities? That was a potential issue, but one he could solve with money and planning.
If the reward was limited to just these aspects, José would be disappointed.
His curiosity about the reward distracted him even during the team's celebration, though others simply assud he was exhausted and didn't disturb him.
After attending the club's victory banquet, José rushed ho, locked the door, closed the curtains, and stretched out his right hand.
A familiar display screen slowly materialized in his palm, glowing faintly.
"Season complete. Scanning task progress... Loading..."
José waited patiently—he had completed the task, so there was no reason to be anxious.
"Task: Qualify for the 2001-2002 UEFA Champions League (i.e., finish in La Liga's top four).Final result: 2nd place in La Liga, direct qualification for the Champions League group stagepletion rating: Good.Reward: Mallorca's local population increases by 100,000."
José stared at the result for several seconds, stunned.
A population increase of 100,000?
What the hell?!
Most people in his position might have felt scamd or confused by such a bizarre reward, but José quickly realized how incredible this was.
For weeks, he had been struggling with a fundantal problem—how could he transform Mallorca into an elite club? This was no easy task. In fact, it was nearly impossible. No matter how skilled he was as a coach, no matter how well he scouted talent, and even if he sohow amassed billions in wealth, he could win plenty of trophies but still fail to turn Mallorca into a true football powerhouse.
The reason was simple—Mallorca wasn't a major city.
Despite its beautiful climate and great living conditions, the entire island had a population of just 600,000. With such a small population base, how could it possibly sustain a top-tier football club?
Elite clubs have widespread support and global recognition. Even when they go through rough patches, they recover quickly because they are based in large cities. There are virtually no true powerhouse clubs from small towns. Look at Parma in the late 1990s—despite their European success and roster full of world-class players, their golden era lasted only a few years before they faded back into diocrity. The reason? Parma was just a small city.
José had always known that even if he built Mallorca a brand-new stadium and world-class training facilities, the club's growth would be limited by the small local population. No matter how successful they beca, a massive stadium would sit half-empty, sponsorship deals would be harder to secure, and they would struggle to attract the best talent.
Every elite club is based in a large city—London, Liverpool, Manchester, Munich, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Turin. Small-market clubs might shine briefly but rarely sustain success. A small city simply can't attract top players. Who wants to play for a club with minimal support? Imagine sitting in a national team locker room where others boast about having hundreds of thousands of fans cheering for them, while your club barely has a few thousand loyal supporters.
Cities with large populations naturally foster stronger football cultures. Bigger fan bases lead to more revenue, greater comrcial appeal, and a stronger pull for top players. It's no coincidence that clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Málaga beca attractive to wealthy investors—they were based in major cities with large potential markets.
Now, José had just been handed the perfect solution.
With each completed mission, Mallorca's population would increase. If this continued for just a few more tasks, the city could surpass one million residents—making it one of Spain's largest cities!
For context, only five Spanish cities have a population of over a million. Besides Madrid and Barcelona (both over five million), Valencia, Seville, and Málaga range between 1.6 million and 1 million. Even Bilbao, the sixth-largest, has only 900,000 people.
Originally, Mallorca barely cracked the top 20 in terms of Spanish city populations, aning they were lucky to sustain a mid-table La Liga club. But if the population kept rising, the island could support a true football powerhouse—one that could compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona. It was just a matter of ti.
A large population ant more fans, greater financial backing, and stronger comrcial appeal. It would beco easier to attract sponsors, top players, and even investors.
José could hardly contain his excitent.
At first glance, turning Mallorca into a football powerhouse had seed like a pipe dream. But now, a path had appeared before him.
With enough people, anything was possible.
It was only a matter of ti before Mallorca beca a new footballing capital in Europe!
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