Girona FC

Top 8 Things You Should Know About Girona FC

Girona are everyone's favorite Spanish team at the moment.

by Radostin Spasov
5
(1)

There is no doubt what the name of the European football sensation this season is. It’s called Girona, and by far, this small team is no less than the co-leader halfway through the campaign in the Spanish La Liga

The Catalan side recorded a fantastic 48 points after 19 games, running shoulder-to-shoulder with the giant Real Madrid. And the way Girona plays is even more impressive than the results it scores. Coach Michel’s squad defeated other Primera Division big guys like FC Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid with a spectacular display of attacking football. The Montilivi-based club bagged the ball four times into the net against both the Xav’s and the Cholo’s men and reached the half-season mark as the top-scoring team in La Liga with 46 goals.

Surely, you have come across the comparisons between the small Catalan side and the 2015/16 season Leicester miracle in the English Premier League. In recent years, it’s a rare occasion for a relatively humble club to get on top among the European powerhouses. 

But it’s a whole lot of different story here. Girona is like the eighth wonder in the world of football now. No matter what turns this Cinderella fairytale goes through in the future, the Montilivi side already deserves to be better recognized by soccer fans worldwide.

It’s the 8th Catalan club to play in La Liga

The North East region of Spain boasts a powerful football tradition, but relatively little is known beyond the legendary FC Barcelona triumphs. Right now, Girona is the only Catalan team in the Spanish top tier besides Los Cules after Espanyol’s relegation last season. For almost a century, no other club from the area has achieved any silverware in the highest category. FC Sabadell reached the 4th place in the best of its 14 seasons in Primera Division, while Europa, Lleida, Condal, and Gimnàstic de Tarragona didn’t leave a mark during their La Liga years.

In 2017, Girona FC became the 8th Catalan side to reach the top flight in Spain. This landmark was hit 87 years after the foundation of the club. The Montilivi-based team debuted with a mid-table ranking, only to be relegated one season later. And it happened in a rather dramatic manner.

They got relegated once… and no one saw it coming then

As a matter of fact, there are plenty of remarkable things Girona did throughout the 2018/19 campaign. The small Catalan team took a point at the regional powerhouse FC Barcelona field for the first time, but there was more than that. White and Reds caused suffering to both the capital giants – they eliminated Atletico from Copa del Rey with two draws and an away goals advantage, and a few weeks later, they left Santiago Bernabeu victorious. 

Girona defeated Real Madrid on their turf in February 2019, but three months dropped out from the Spanish top flight. The Montilivi team got relegated after losing 9 out of its last 10 games in the championship. And bouncing back was never easy.

Girona

Girona’s players are the real heroes in La Liga this season

Girona struggled with three playoff dramas before winning back the promotion

White and Reds deserved a chance to get back almost immediately. They reached the promotion playoff in the Segunda Division the following season but failed dramatically in the final against Elche. Girona suffered again after a goalless draw in the first leg, allowing a last-minute goal in the home game.

In the next campaign, the Catalan side got even closer after defeating Rayo Vallecano by 2-1 on its turf in the first clash of the promotional playoff final. And once again, the team was brought to tears at home, losing 0-2 in the return game. 

However, the third attempt was lucky for the Blanquivermells. Girona failed to win and even score at the Montilivi in the playoffs but was perfect in the away matches against Eibar and Tenerife defeating both of them. So, the dream of returning to La Liga finally became a reality.

Montilivi is the smallest venue in Primera Division

After Girona returned for their second spell in the Spanish top flight, it launched a renovation on its home stadium. And yet, Montilivi is the smallest venue in La Liga currently. No more than 14 624 people can watch a game live at the stands.

But the stadium is almost always packed. At the beginning of the current campaign, the club hit another record, selling nearly 10 thousand season tickets. Not bad at all, given that the eponymous city has a population of little more than 100 thousand people. And that magical half-season fairytale, we are sure that Girona now has much more support outside the hometown residents.

The club is part of the group around Manchester City

There are a number of reasons for the recent rise of Girona FC. The Spanish club is a part of the City Football Group (CFG), which owns several other franchises. The most prominent of them all is the current Champions League title holder Manchester City. The Catalan side still relies on plenty of the English powerhouse players, including this season. 

But there is more connection to the CFG beyond the long list of footballers loaned from other clubs from the Abu Dhabi group. We have another Guardiola at Montilivi playing a major role in the Girona development.

Artem Dovbyk

Artem Dovbyk is one of Girona’s most impressive players

Pep’s brother is the boss here

Pere Guardiola is five years younger than his sibling – the current manager of Man City. Pep’s brother has been involved with the Catalan side since 2017 when he bought a minor share of its ownership. Later, Pere Guardiola became the club’s chairman, and under his guidance, the team achieved its most recent promotion. And what’s more, Josep Guardiola’s relative manages the transfer policy of the franchise outstandingly, building upon strength season after season.

But there are not only advantages of the relation to Manchester City. The joint owner can be problematic if Girona FC qualifies for the Champions League. Since UEFA doesn’t allow two clubs under shared ownership to participate in the same competition, it can stop the Spanish side from entering the world’s biggest club tournament. However, there is still time to resolve the situation and make the Catalan sensation a part of the most luxurious competition in the world of football.

Stuani is the living legend of the club

We have already dedicated a special article to the most prominent players in Girona’s history. Some still wear the White and Red jersey, and beyond any doubt, Cristhian Stuani is the living legend of the modest Catalan franchise.

It is not only because he is by far the club’s all-time scorer with 124 goals. It’s more about the loyalty of the Uruguayan veteran. Stuani signed with Girona in 2017, right before the debut season in the top flight, and never left. He didn’t break his allegiance to the club’s crest when it was relegated. No, he remained at Montilivi and endured these three years of struggle to return to La Liga. In fact, Stuani was instrumental in away playoff wins at the Eibar and Tenerife, hitting the net against both opponents to pave the way for Girona’s return to Primera Division.

And there are a bunch of promising stars, too

Cristhian Stuani is still a Blanquivermells player – he’s the team’s second scorer in this sensational campaign with 6 goals. The Uruguayan veteran surely helps a lot, but the success is built upon a bunch of promising starts playing under coach Michel.

Artem Dovbyk is the top scorer, hitting the net 11 times in the first half of the season and adding 6 assists. Last summer, the Ukrainian striker was brought in as a replacement for Taty Castellanos – the Argentine who scored four goals in a single match against Real Madrid and later left for Lazio. Given that the club paid just about €7 million to his former club, Dnipro, it is one of the best football deals recently.

Besides Dovbyk, there is another Ukrainian star. Viktor Tsygankov arrived at the Montilivi a few months earlier than his compatriot and began to shine right from the start.

Well, the magic wouldn’t be possible without some assistance from the CFG. Girona benefits a lot by loaning several players from clubs owned by the Abu Dhabi group. For example, the Brazilian winger Savinho was brought in from the French Troyes, and so far, he contributed with 5 goals and 5 assists. Loaned from Manchester City, Yan Couto provides plenty of scoring opportunities to his teammates.

Once again, we return to our list of the most prominent players in Girona’s history. Among them, you will find Aleix Garcia. He is absolutely crucial in his role in the center of the field. At 26, he is in the prime of his football career; he was recently called to the Spanish national team, and some big guys like FC Barcelona started asking what his price would be.

Michel Girona

Michel is the head coach who brought Girona to such levels

In the end, let’s say a few things about Michel Sanchez. At 48, he is not a rookie in the business, but at Montilivi, he finally found the perfect place to make a lasting coaching success. It’s true that he helped two teams – his hometown Rayo Vallecano, as well as Huesca – ascend to La Liga. But he failed to keep them in the top flight, and they both got relegated the next season after the promotion.

However, at Girona, Michel not only managed to maintain his team’s elite status but elevated the Catalan side among the top dogs in the league. So, it is not surprising that many clubs in Europe are interested in signing him in the near future. Once again, the name of FC Barcelona emerges – rumor has it that if Xavi’s spell is about to end in the summer, Michel is among the top names to be considered as a replacement.

But it still depends on how far Girona can go. The sky is the limit – after defeating Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid in a span of 8 months, the small Catalan side proved that even in today’s football, everything is possible. 

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Related Posts

Leave a Comment