Dominik Greif unravels the tape that hold his fingers in place, eases into a chair in the sunshine and, to the sound of birds singing in Son Sardina, starts talking about the law of attraction. Somehow Real Mallorca’s substitute goalkeeper, the man who went through hell, almost walked away and played only three league games in three seasons, became the hero who took them to within reach of only their second ever trophy. He faced his demons in silence and solitude; now he and his teammates face Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey final on the day he turns 27. Some might call it destiny. Dominik Greif, for a start.
“Actually, I am trying to force it,” he says, the kind of smile he hasn’t always been able to wear spreading across his face. “I think about Connor McGregor predicting exactly how his fight against José Aldo would go: he said it was the law of attraction, that if you can imagine it and you have the courage to speak it, it will happen. So now I am saying to everyone: ‘The final is the day of my birthday, it is written in the stars, it will happen.’ So hopefully it will.”
