Rafa Mir

Early career

Mir was born in Cartagena and raised in Javalí Nuevo, a village belonging to Murcia, also in the Region of Murcia. He began his career playing futsal with CD Javalí Nuevo. After a 120-goal spell at ElPozo Murcia FS he began playing full football with Ranero CF, scoring 57 and 84 goals in his respective seasons before joining FC Barcelona. Mir's 32 goals at La Masia earned him a return to his native region and Real Murcia, where a 45-goal haul led to the attention of Valencia CF.

Valencia

Mir made his senior debut for Valencia's reserves on 1 March 2015, as an 88th-minute substitute for Wilfried Zahibo in a 2–1 Segunda División B loss at CE L'Hospitalet. Hescored his first senior goal six days later, in a 2–0 win over CF Badalona at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna. He finished the campaign with four appearances, as his side narrowly avoided relegation. The following season, in the UEFA Youth League, Mir scored consecutive braces in victories over Gent. On 14 November 2015, he was given his first start for the B-side, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–2 loss at another reserve team, Villarreal CF B. On 20 November 2015, Mir was called up to the main squad by manager Nuno Espírito Santo for a La Liga game against UD Las Palmas; he was an unused substitute in the 1–1 draw at the Mestalla Stadium. He made his professional debut on 25 November, starting in a UEFA Champions League group stage match away to Zenit Saint Petersburg, being substituted…

On 29 June 2021, Mir was named in the 22-man squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics by manager Luis de la Fuente. On 31 July, he scored an injury-time equaliser against the Ivory Coast to take their quarter-final to extra-time, in which he added two further goals to complete a hat-trick as Spain won 5–2.

As of match played 22 April 2026

Mir, who idolised German forward Mario Gómez, is the son of former defender Magín Mir, whose clubs included RCD Mallorca and Murcia. He is a cousin of artistic gymnast Nicolau Mir. After he won his Olympic silver medal in 2021, the football ground in Mir's childhood village of Javalí Nuevo was named after him. Following his conviction, the council in Murcia said the name would be removed if his appeal failed. On 15 June 2026, Mir was sentenced to 8½ years in prison for sexual assault (seven years) and bodily harm (eighteen months). The offences took place at his home in Bétera, Province of Valencia, on 1 September 2024. The prosecutor said that he would not enter prison until the end of appeals.