He has earned the right to be singled out as one of the biggest figures in Spanish and world sport in a frenetic 2020. In a year unlike any other on and off the circuits, the rise of Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) has been a breath of fresh air for the world sports scene and he is now in the public eye after securing the 2020 MotoGP ™ World Championship at the Valencia GP.
Praise has been coming in from all quarters of the media, with Mir being crowned Champion on the same day Lewis Hamilton won a record-equaling seventh F1 title, the Spanish press is unanimous in their focus as one of their own sealed the title in just his second year in the premier class.
The four major sports newspapers in Spain all focus on the man from the Balearic Islands. AS pays tribute to 'King Mir', while MARCA highlights the ‘historic’ milestone in his sophomore year in MotoGP ™. Mundo Deportivo emphasizes that the Suzuki rider "bases his success on consistency" due to his ability to avoid mistakes and recalls that he is already "the fourth Spanish king of the highest category." SPORT, for its part, also dedicates space on its cover for the number '36', shared with Hamilton himself, the two biggest names of the year in motorsport.
But the accolades go beyond the specialized sporting press. The general Spanish media also afford cover space to Mir on Monday. "Mir is crowned with the World Cup" is the headline chosen by El Periódico, which also points out that Hamilton draws level with Michael Schumacher in F1 titles. El País also focus on the fact that he has just come through his rookie year, saying that he is “Champion in his second season”. El Mundo, for its part, focuses on Mir becoming the "fourth Spanish champion", following in the footsteps of Àlex Crivillé, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez.
If the rain of praise was overwhelming at a national and international level, it couldn't be more so in the Balearic press, where the Suzuki rider has already acquired the legend label. Diario de Mallorca went for a clever play on words headline to highlight an "admirable" feat, claiming that Joan lifts the title at 23 and "becomes the second Majorcan" to do so after Lorenzo. In Ultima Hora they also agree that "Mir makes history", emphasizing that he "becomes a motorcycle legend" after his first world title in the premier class.
Today Mir can bathe in the praise of his crowning glory.