GIRONAWhen Míchel Sánchez, Girona’s coach, arrived in the world, the club was in the Third Division, the category that has seen him compete the most times. On October 30, 1975, the Girona club had just lost to Lleida (1-0) and would then beat Constancia (2-0) with Emilio Aldecoa on the bench. Aldecoa is quite an institution, because he is the coach with the most games in the history of a club often installed in anonymity. Like spending 18 consecutive years in Tercera, as was the case.
These data are common given the birth matches of the main protagonists of current Girona, which is experiencing an exceptional moment in the state football elite. Despite the fact that some believe otherwise, the fact that Osasuna will visit Montilivi this Sunday (6:30 p.m., Movistar LaLiga) is an exception. And lucky, because the little girl who will be an adult in the future today grows up watching her city club play in the First Division. If it stays in time, tomorrow’s footballers will rip apart the current context.
There is a 17-year difference between the oldest player in the squad, Cristhian Stuani, born on October 12, 1986, and the youngest, Arnau Martínez, born on April 25, 2003. But a coincidence, clear: Girona was not a professional club. When the Uruguayan was born, the white-and-red won 4-2 at El Prat, with a goal from Juli Sunyer, a much-loved striker; when Martínez took his head off, they crushed Tortosa 7-1. At the end of that year, they would go up to Segona B.
Not even the owners are spared
Let’s go to the goal: Juan Carlos’ date is January 20, 1988, with the team in Segona B. Coincidentally, the opponent was once again Constancia, which fell (3-0). One of the scorers that afternoon is Delfí Geli, the current president. Geli was born on April 22, 1969, with Girona in Tercera. Not even those in charge escape this: Ferran Soriano, in 1966, Third Division; Marcelo Claure, in 1970, Third Division; Quique Cárcel, in 1974, Third Division, and Pere Guardiola, in 1976, Third Division.
The same goes for popular names like Bernardo, Juanpe, Samu Saiz, Borja García and the most acclaimed claim of this summer, Oriol Romeu. All of them, in Second B. But if you think it can’t go any lower, you’re wrong. We travel to the 1998-99 season. Taty Castellanos was born on October 3, 1998, and Girona, with Pere Gratacós on the bench, was playing a Primera Catalana match in Ripollet. He won 1-5, but started off losing. With Santi Bueno, on November 9, 1998, three quarters of the same: a 1-1 draw in Montilivi with Cornellà. In the stands, 450 spectators.
The arrival of the 2000s, and, consequently, the arrival of Riquelme, Terrats, Miguel Gutiérrez, Reinier Jesús or Yan Couto, coincided with a new stability in Tercera. It wasn’t until 2008 when Girona returned to professional football with promotion to Segona, a category they had left in 1959. This season Míchel made his debut for Joel Roca, on June 7, 2005. A week before , the Girona team had been relegated to Tercera due to a worse goal difference with Gramenet.
