Vedat Muriqi, the Kosovan striker known as the Pirate, scored a dramatic 91st-minute winner as Mallorca defeated Real Madrid 2-1, lifting the island club out of the relegation zone. The goal, his 19th of the La Liga season, set a new club record for a single campaign and brought the former Real Madrid player to tears as he lay on the pitch, overwhelmed by emotion.
Teammates embraced Muriqi before helping him up, with Johan Mojica pointing to the camera and saying, “For Kosovo.” The 30-year-old had been struggling in recent weeks, admitting after the match, “These two weeks, I have suffered a lot. Sometimes the emotion and the nerves get the better of me.” His son Orhan later stood by the pitch, watching his father compose himself.
Muriqi’s background has shaped his resilience. Born in Prizren, his family fled to Albania during the Kosovo War, 50 of them sharing one room. His father died of a heart attack while playing football shortly after the conflict ended, a loss that nearly deterred Muriqi from the game. Despite being told he had no future in football, he persevered, eventually becoming a cult hero on the island.
His winner came after Mallorca’s recent managerial change, with Martín Demichelis replacing Jagoba Arrasate. Muriqi had called for a more attacking style, saying they “actually played, not like before when we were just defending.” His 19 goals account for 53 per cent of Mallorca’s total, and only Kylian Mbappé has more league goals this season when penalties are excluded.
