Omar Mascarell

Omar Mascarell González (born 2 February 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Mallorca.

Formed at Real Madrid, where he made one first-team appearance, he also played in La Liga for Sporting de Gijón, Elche and Mallorca. He also totalled 98 Bundesliga games for Eintracht Frankfurt and Schalke 04, and won the DFB-Pokal with the former in 2018.

Born in Spain, Mascarell plays for the Equatorial Guinea national team, having made his debut in 2024.

Real Madrid
Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Mascarell joined Real Madrid's youth system at the age of 17, arriving from local club Laguna. On 21 August 2011 he made his debut as a senior, playing with Real Madrid Castilla against Sporting de Gijón B in the Segunda División B. He contributed 24 games during the season (11 starts) as the B's returned to Segunda División after an absence of five years, scoring twice in the process.

Mascarell started the 2012–13 campaign with the C team also in the third division, but was promoted back to the reserves after only a couple of weeks. He played his first professional match on 28 October 2012, coming on as a substitute for Pedro Mosquera for the last 17 minutes of a 2–4 home loss to Sporting de Gijón.

Mascarell made his La Liga debut with the Merengues on 1 June 2013, replacing Mesut Özil late into a 4–2 home win against Osasuna in what was the last matchday. On 6 August of the following year, he joined English Championship club Derby County on a season-long loan. He made his debut for the latter five days later, substituting Will Hughes in the 53rd minute of a 1–0 victory over Rotherham United at Pride Park Stadium.

On 3 August 2015, Mascarell moved to Sporting Gijón on loan for the season. He played 28 matches in all competitions, starting 20 in the league and helping the Asturians finally retain their top-flight status.

Eintracht Frankfurt
On 6 July 2016, Mascarell signed with Eintracht Frankfurt on a three-year contract. His maiden appearance in the Bundesliga took place on 27 August, when he played the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat of Schalke 04.

Mascarell spent the better part of the 2017–18 season on the sidelines, due to an achilles tendon injury. On 5 May he scored his first goal league goal in a 3–0 win over relegation-threatened Hamburger SV at the Waldstadion. He played the entire final of the DFB-Pokal two weeks later, helping to a 3–1 victory against league champions Bayern Munich; he had opened his account for the club in the quarter-finals by concluding a 3–0 win at home to Mainz 05.

Schalke 04
On 29 June 2018, Mascarell's buy back clause was activated by Real Madrid for €4 million. He was subsequently sold to Schalke 04 also in the German top division for €10 million, signing a four-year contract. From February to September 2020, he was sidelined with an abductor muscle injury, returning for the reserve team's 2–0 Regionalliga home win against SV Rödinghausen.

For 2019–20, Mascarell was appointed vice-captain. After Alexander Nübel decided to leave the club at the end of the season, he was selected by head coach David Wagner as his successor; however, he was stripped of the armband on 30 January 2021 and replaced by Sead Kolašinac. His one goal in 71 appearances for them was on the same day, opening a 1–1 draw at Werder Bremen.

Elche
On 23 August 2021, free agent Mascarell returned to his home country after agreeing to a one-year deal with Elche in the top tier. He totalled 62 games during his spell at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, suffering relegation in 2022–23.

Mallorca
On 27 June 2023, Mascarell joined Mallorca on a three-year contract.

Spain
Mascarell is of Equatoguinean descent through his great-grandmother, while his paternal grandfather was born in the country. He won caps for Spain at under-18 and under-20 levels, also featuring once for the Canary Islands under-18 side.

Equatorial Guinea
In May 2012, Mascarell was called by Equatorial Guinea for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Tunisia and Sierra Leone. He travelled to Malabo, but nonetheless declined to play in any of the two matches because he had already appeared for Spain at youth level and did not want to give up on that option; according to the local press, the Equatoguinean Football Federation was completing the administrative procedures of his eligibility.

In December 2023, Mascarell was pre-selected for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations; he did not make the final cut, however. He made his debut on 5 June 2024, in a 1–0 loss away to Tunisia for the 2026 World Cup qualifying phase.

Honours
Eintracht Frankfurt
 * DFB-Pokal: 2017–18