Spain: Badalona Dracs RB Edu Molina has a need for speed both on and off the field

It feels like a lifetime ago that Badalona Dracs running back Edu Molina made one of his most beloved purchases: a Husqvarna Supermoto motorbike. In reality, it was just a little over three years ago.

Molina bought the bike when he turned 20, the age at which he could finally acquire the 700 CC license required to operate the vehicle. He calls the bike, a mix between a racing bike and street bike, “the perfect combination.”

The Dracs lead running back has always had the need for speed, both on and off the field. While Molina loves American football and has forged a career for himself in the sport, his first love will always be motorbikes, a source of joy and what he looks forward to when life gets frustrating.

“My first thing is football,” Molina said. “Then when I have time I do something with my bike or take the opportunity to ride it. If I don’t have the time, it’s okay because I know it’s not my number one priority.”

Born and raised in Girona, Spain, some of Molina’s oldest and most cherished memories involve motorbikes. He remembers the wide-eyed awe he felt as a five year old when he attended a Motor Grand Prix race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain, for the first time. Even at that young age, Molina could recognize the brand of a bike based solely on its sound.

The Supermoto bike is Molina’s everyday vehicle when he’s home in Girona and he will ride it everywhere. He loves to take it cornering by his home and says one of his favorite places to do so is in Tossa de Mar. The only place Molina doesn’t ride his bike to is Badalona because he doesn’t want to put nearly 200 km on it every time he makes the round trip commute to practice.

In his free time and when he’s not working out, you can often find Molina working on his motorbike. The other month, for example, he bought a new exhaust, and installed it himself. He even added a personal touch to the bike by painting on the number 43, his uniform number in football.

“If I have the chance to buy something, I can upgrade (my bike) a little bit,” Molina said. “I’m not a pro, but I really have interest in this so I can look up how to do those things.”

There’s already a lifetime’s worth of memories wrapped up in the three-year-old motorbike. Molina will never forget the time he first successfully pulled off a wheelie, figuring out how to touch one knee to the floor of the bike and ignore the unnerving feeling of leaning backward at high speeds.

“One day I just told myself it’s impossible to fall backwards,” Molina said. “Everyone has the fear of falling backwards, but I recorded myself doing (a wheelie) and I was so far from falling backward. One day I just said ‘Why not’ and it worked.”

 

But with the good memories also came some forgettable ones. There was that one time Molina crashed the bike and tore a hole in the engine, leaving him without his favorite ride for two months. He chuckles about it now, but that experience served a valuable lesson about the importance of not cornering when a bike’s wheels are cold.

Molina started playing American football when he was 14, invited to a practice by one of his friends who used to coach the sport in Girona. Intrigued, the teenager decided to swing by and soon after started consistently training with the Girona Ducs. There he fell in love with the sport and Molina hasn’t looked back since.

With the Ducs, players played both offense and defense. Molina remembers his coach playing him as a linebacker on defense and running back on offense. Like many teams, the Ducs played power football and liked to keep the ball on the ground. Molina, who always wanted to make a direct impact on the game itself, never wanted to leave the backfield.

“Ever since I scored my first touchdowns, I always wanted to score more,” Molina said.

As Molina grew older and developed physically it became clear his pure talent stood out above his peers. He often scored at least three touchdowns each game, putting him on the radar of some of the biggest teams in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano.

“I remember at the time playing football was very easy for me because I was in my last year (at that level),” Molina said. “I’m not tall, but I used to play with kids that I was a head taller than. Playing youth football wasn’t as interesting for me because it was super easy.”

The opportunity to play American football soon brought him south to Barcelona. Molina spent a year with the L’Hospitalet Pioners, the 2020 season heavily impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, before signing to play with the Badalona Dracs.

Since then, Molina has cemented himself as one of the most promising running back talents in Catalunya. He loves to run through the heart of a defense, leaving opponents in his wake. He’s also not afraid to hurdle an opponent when the opportunity presents itself. Many times when the Dracs enter the red zone the plan is to hand the ball off to Molina and get out of the way.

At 23 years old, Molina remains ambitious to grow a career in American football. After the Dracs won the LNFA Serie A championship in 2021, he went to Denmark where he played a season with the Søllerød Gold Diggers before returning to Catalunya and Badalona.

A month ago, Molina discussed his future goals, which, of course, begin with winning another ring with the Dracs.

“At some point I want to try to go to a European league or something like that,” Molina said. “I want to keep growing.”

Those wishes are quickly coming to fruition. He recently announced through social media that he will play with the Barcelona Dragons in the European League of Football (ELF) following the conclusion of the LNFA season.

That opportunity offers the best of both worlds, really. The chance to play American football at a high level, competing against some of the best teams throughout Europe, as well remaining close enough to home so that he can return in the offseason and ride his beloved Husqvarna Supermoto.