Mateo Joseph

Key strength: Link-up play

Target man

In the suffocating pressure-cooker of La Liga's relegation zone, 22-year-old Mateo Joseph carries the survival hopes of RCD Mallorca on his young shoulders. With Los Bermellones clinging to 15th place and their recent form reading WLLDW—a chaotic sequence where every point is precious—Joseph has become an unlikely lifeline through sheer necessity. The Spanish centre-forward has logged 1,716 minutes across 30 appearances this season, wearing the number 18 shirt while adapting his game on the fly. His modest return of 2 goals and 4 assists only scratches the surface; Joseph is undergoing a fascinating evolution from traditional target man to sophisticated link-up presence, using improved hold-up play and developing vision to feed creative linchpin Pablo Torre. Valued at €3.5 million with a 63 overall rating, he represents both immediate survival necessity and long-term promise. In this brutal environment where one result separates salvation from despair, Joseph's adaptation to La Liga's physical demands could define not only Mallorca's fate but his own burgeoning career. Every clever flick to Torre, every battle with seasoned defenders—this is where young strikers are forged or broken.