Tenerife-born Mascarell Represents Equatorial Guinea at Africa Cup

Football usually slows down this time of year, but not everywhere. In Morocco, the Africa Cup of Nations is happening, and a player from Tenerife, Mallorca midfielder Omar Mascarell González, is taking part.

You might wonder why a player from Tenerife, specifically from Tegueste, is playing in such a high-level tournament on another continent. The reason is quite simple: his paternal grandfather's birthplace opened the door for him. Although Omar played for Spain's youth teams (from U17 to U20), he eventually chose Equatorial Guinea to experience major events like the Africa Cup.

He made his senior international debut on June 5, 2024, starting and playing the full match in a World Cup qualifier against Tunisia. Since then, he has played in some games and missed others, but he remained part of coach Juan Michá's plans. Michá selected him for the Africa Cup, which for Equatorial Guinea begins today at 12:30 PM. They are in a group with Burkina Faso (their first opponent), Algeria, and Sudan.

The Equatorial Guinea team mostly consists of players who have played or are currently playing in Spanish football. Omar isn't the only one. For example, there's Loren Zúñiga from Real Madrid Castilla, Jesús Owono, who is Andorra's goalkeeper, and Saúl Coco, a central defender from Lanzarote who used to play for UD Las Palmas and is now with Torino.

Omar agreed to join Equatorial Guinea, which meant sacrificing his winter holidays. He played his last game of the year for Mallorca on December 13 before joining his national team. In that final club match, he showed he was in excellent form. He started against Elche (3-1) at Son Moix and helped break a 1-1 tie by scoring a goal and providing an assist. His performance was crucial in helping Jagoba Arrasate's team secure three points. The Basque coach will be closely watching Equatorial Guinea's progress in the Africa Cup to see how many games Mascarell will miss. In the best-case scenario for Mallorca, he would be back in Palma before the first LaLiga EA Sports match of 2026, when Mallorca (known as 'Bermellones') faces Girona on January 4. However, this will only happen if Equatorial Guinea doesn't get past the group stage of the African tournament, which concludes with the final on January 18.

For Mascarell, this tournament is another experience in a career that began to take off during his time as a Real Madrid youth player. It was during those early years that the Football Federation of his grandfather's home country first approached him about playing for their national team. But the Tegueste-born player chose to wait, hoping to continue moving up through Spain's (known as 'La Roja') youth ranks.

Looking back, he says he doesn't regret his decision. "It's the best decision I've made in my career," he told Radio Marca yesterday, referring to his commitment to Equatorial Guinea. Omar, who even played one official first-team match for Real Madrid in June 2013 against Osasuna, really made his mark at Sporting (in the 2015/16 season) and especially in Germany's top league, the Bundesliga, where he developed while playing for Eintracht and Schalke 04. After this period, he returned to Spain, signing for Elche in the First Division in the summer of 2021. Mascarell spent two seasons with the 'franjiverde' (green-striped) team before signing with his current club, Mallorca, in 2023.

He has played 158 matches in Spain's First Division, 12 in the Copa del Rey, 52 in the Second Division, and 98 in the Bundesliga. Now, he will add his likely debut in the Africa Cup to his impressive career. Christmas Eve is set to be the day.