During Victor Orta’s tenure at Leeds United, several young imports came and went without making an impact on the first team. Rafa Mujica, a Spanish talent, is among them.
Mujica, 25, joins Leeds in the summer of 2019. He was on Elland Road’s books for two years, with four loan periods. The latter was Spanish club Las Palmas before joining permanently.
Then, following a difficult year at Las Palmas, he joined Portuguese club Arouca in the summer of 2022 and has not looked back. This season, he’s on fire. He has scored 19 goals in 30 league and cup outings.
Of those 19, 16 have come in Portugal’s top division, making Mujica the country’s third-highest top scorer. He trails Braga’s Simon Banza and Viktor Gyokeres, who have 18. Gyokeres is a former Leeds target.
Rafa Mujica pushes for Portugal’s golden boot after Leeds elimination.
Gyokeres, a Swedish talent, was linked with a move to Leeds last summer and is now wanted by some of Europe’s best clubs. Chelsea have made a £73 million bid. Mujica isn’t far behind the former Coventry standout.
It’s not like Leeds lacks talent at the top. Patrick Bamford, Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe, and Mateo Joseph are all great choices at this level, especially if the club is promoted back to the Premier League.
However, Mujica is proven himself to be a top striker in Portuguese football, despite never reaching the level he did at Leeds. Three years after leaving Leeds, he is vying for Portugal’s Golden Boot.
