This Wednesday at 9:30 p.m., Girona faces Atlético Madrid in what, to everyone’s surprise, can be described as a La Liga shock. If the Colchoneros, led by a fiery Antoine Griezmann, are used to playing the leading roles in the Spanish championship, it’s a completely different story for the Catalans, surprising second and tied on points with the leader, Real Madrid. The men of Michel, the Girona coach, deserve to focus on their case.
With its fiery attack (best attack in La Liga thanks to 42 goals scored), its well-oiled team and, above all, its ranking, Girona can in certain aspects remind us of the Manchester City machine, recent European champion. And it’s not (just) a coincidence. The small Catalan club was bought 47% by the City Group in 2017, the rest of the shares being held by Pere, the brother of Pep Guardiola, and a Bolivian businessman. Being part of such a structure has allowed Girona to invest in the transfer market, for example making Artem Doybyk the most expensive recruit in its history last summer (7.5 million euros). But also to bring in players belonging to clubs also in the fold of the City Group, like the former Trojan Savio. Add to that an offensive-oriented playing philosophy, and you will get a winning cocktail.
A medium-sized town located near the Pyrenees in the Catalan region, Girona was not, initially, cut out to play leading roles. And even in his region! It is only the eleventh city in Catalonia in terms of inhabitants (100,000), and is not one of the most supported clubs in this territory with independence aspirations. Thus, the Blanquivermells are the third Catalan team playing in La Liga. They share the stage with Espanyol, regulars in the Spanish championship (in Liga 2 this season), but above all with… FC Barcelona! And this season, the little thumb managed to bring down the giant in the derby, with a score of 4 goals to 2. A real feat, since it is the only victory against the Blaugrana in La Liga.
Girona plays its home matches at the Montivili Municipal Stadium. Located on the outskirts of the city, it is the smallest stadium in the Spanish championship, behind Getafe and Madrid (Rayo Vallecano). Built in 1970, it has 15,500 seats. When it moved up to the first division in 2017, the club had to expand it, adding 2,500 places. An enclosure which could almost be considered intimate, and which allows the public to be very close to the pitch, and therefore to the actors. This is where the match against Atletico Madrid will take place on Wednesday evening.
Founded in 1930, the Girona Futbol Club has not, throughout its history, been accustomed to playing the leading roles. Its main title is the third division championship, won in 2008. In its 87 years of existence, the club had never played in Liga 1, before… 2017-2018! Thanks to its second place obtained in the second division, the Catalan team avoided the play-offs and played, for the first time in its history, in the country’s elite. A rise linked to the arrival of the City Groupe in the club’s capital, and which makes the club’s current season all the more impressive.
The Catalans’ meteoric rise then came to a real halt, with a return to Liga 2 at the end of the 2018-2019 season after failing to finish in eighteenth place. The club then vegetated for two years in the second division, before moving up to the elite in 2022. And the 2022-2023 season was going to be the best in the club’s history. With thirteen victories, including prestigious successes against Sevilla and Real Madrid, Michel’s team finished in tenth place, building the foundations of its current success. But this tenth place seems very likely to be largely beaten this season. By having retained the majority of its workforce and recruited intelligently, combining youth and experience, Girona has given itself the right to dream of European qualification, if not better. Atlético Madrid has been warned that the trip on Wednesday evening will not be easy.
