Greek club Aris Thessaloniki announced on Tuesday, August 4, that Spanish forward Rafa Mir has joined the team on a one-year loan from Sevilla FC, with an agreement to extend his stay for a further year through the summer of 2028. Mir arrived in Thessaloniki on Monday, August 3, passed his medical examinations and signed his contract, according to the club. His contract with Sevilla runs until the summer of 2027.
Career path
Rafael Mir Vicente was born on June 18, 1997, in Murcia, Spain. He came through the Valencia academy, made his first-team debut there, and moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018. Loan spells followed at Las Palmas, Huesca and Nottingham Forest, with his time at Huesca standing out: Mir scored 25 goals in 57 appearances. Sevilla signed him in the summer of 2021.
With Sevilla, Mir played in LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, and won the Europa League in 2023. He returned to Valencia on loan in the summer of 2024. Internationally, he won the European Under-21 Championship with Spain in 2019 and was part of the Spain squad that won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Mir's reaction
Speaking on the club's official website, Mir said he was excited to join Aris and eager to start training with his new teammates, adding he hoped the squad and the fans could work together to achieve great things this season. He thanked Aris supporters for welcoming him at the airport and thanked the club for the warmth of his reception. Mir said he would give his best for Aris, aiming to score as many goals as possible to help the team meet its targets, and that he was looking forward to meeting the fans and playing at their stadium.
