What Tomeu Canyelles was like, according to his mother: "He decided to study History at the age of 12 after visiting Italy."

Tomeu Canyelles (Pòrtol, 1984) is a historian, researcher, musician, editor... and the son every mother would want. No one should tell Tomeu if you call more: "Every morning he sends me a WhatsApp message, and at night he calls us to tell us something. He communicates a lot with us, and he's always done so," says Francisca Canyelles, the mother of this week's protagonist.

He was raised by paternal godparents because his father and mother worked. "We had no choice but to do it this way," Francisca says, as if she had to justify herself and that wasn't how children in so many families have been born. She suddenly changes her tone: "The truth is, he gave them life. The godparents were crazy about the boy. He never went to kindergarten," she says. On the contrary, Francisca points out that, as a child, Tomeu was a shy and introverted child. "As he's gotten older, he's lost his shyness. Sometimes I tell him he doesn't seem like the same person!"

That happy boy grew up listening to the fables his maternal godmother told him and playing with Playmobil and Lego, toys that fascinated him until an unexpected gift began to overshadow them. "An aunt of mine gave him a bicycle that he dropped with such grace that I don't even know how many kilometers he rode! Our house had a patio that wasn't very big either: but he wound up around the patio! And he still treasures that bike," says his mother.

He was a reader from a very young age, and was enthusiastic about Stephen King novels at an age when "perhaps it wasn't right for him to read yet," says his mother. He was also a fan of Mortadelo comics, and has volumes and more volumes at his parents' house. "It's not like before: Tomeu never watched television; he spent his time listening to music and reading books," remarks Francisca, who perfectly remembers when her son first became interested in history. "He started saying he wanted to study History after a trip we took to Italy. We spent 17 days there, and for some of them we were accompanied by a guide. He talked to us about the country's history, about Ancient History... and Tomeu was amazed. And that's when he decided. The idea never left him." So much so that, today, Tomeu has a PhD in Contemporary History from the UIB.

According to his mother, it must have been when he was 12 or 13 that he was given a music tower that sparked his great passion for heavy metal. "His idols are Iron Maiden, they were always playing!" At that time, he asked his father for a guitar, and soon he started classical guitar lessons; soon he got electric guitar. His mother laughs when he talks about music because one thing he always struggled with at school was the flute: "It was a struggle! He was a good student, but the thing is, with the flute, there was no way he could play... And I couldn't help because I don't know any music!" he recalls.

Regarding Tomeu's character, she is very clear: "He is a very noble person. He will never do anything that could harm anyone. He has always made a living for himself, and he has never sucked up to anyone or stepped on anyone's toes. What he has achieved has been through his own merits. His father and I are very proud."