“We are in a very high category, today it’s a good point because we had just lost three games. We have shot 23 times and that means the team is trying and playing.”said coach Míchel Sánchez after the draw snatched by Girona against Cadiz (1-1), during the 9th day of La Liga, last Saturday. It is true that with two victories in nine days, synonymous witha 15th position in the standingsthe Catalans of Girona do not have a very famous balance sheet, but given their promoted status, they are far from ridiculous.
A network around Manchester City
In the summer of 2017, shortly before the Girona players played the first campaign in their history in La Liga, the club was officially sold, on August 23, to the City Football Group (CFG), which offered 44, 3% of team shares. This Emirati holding company, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owns many football clubs around the world, spearheaded by Manchester City. We also find in their list: New York City FC (United States), Melbourne City FC (Australia), Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan), Montevideo City Torque (Uruguay), Sichuan Jiuniu FC (China) , Mumbai City FC (India), Lommel SK (Belgium), but also ESTAC Troyes in France and most recently Palermo FC in Italian Serie B. In addition to owning these clubs, this company, which has offices in Abu Dhabi, London, New York, Melbourne and Tokyo, has set itself the objective of managing the marketing, communication, innovation and training of all its teams. , in order to bring his modern vision of football.
Using this strong international network, Girona took the opportunity to loan several players from the City Football Group network, from 2016 when negotiations had started behind the scenes. Pablo Mari, Angeliño Tasende, Pablo Maffeo and Ruben Sobrino, bought by the Citizens, were immediately loaned to Girona. Others then followed the same route like the Brazilian Douglas Luiz, the Englishman Patrick Roberts, the Spaniard Aleix Garcia. During the last summer transfer window, the management of the Blanquivermells put the cover back by using the contact book for the loans of Yan Couto and Yangel Herrera, two players from Manchester City, but also of Valentin Castellanos, former best player of the MLS in the jersey of New York City FC, another team in the group. But the club refuses to embody a simple secondary school serving Abu Dhabi and Manchester City. Each decision is weighed, considered and fits into a singular logic in Girona.
Local anchoring as a solid foundation
While the microcosm of football skims, year after year, many criticisms for an evolution deemed too internationalized under the influence of world powers, Girona denotes slightly in this landscape. To guide its project, the club remains under the presidency of Delfí Geli, a former Spanish international player and native of the small town of Salt, in the province of Girona in Catalonia. The team aims to convey regional and popular values to its inhabitants. In 2017, during Girona’s surprise victory over Real Madrid (2-1) in the league, independence songs were taken up in the choir in the bays of the Montilivi stadium, while other socios unfurled flags of Catalonia in a tense climate in Spain, while the Parliament of Catalonia had proclaimed the independence of the region two days before the match. Because Girona is also about this political and social dimension. A point that was at the center of the negotiations: “City Football Group’s long-term strategy and respect for the heritage of its clubs has been evident in all of its investments to date. We feel privileged to be part of this extended family.”said Delfí Geli during the formalization of the arrival of the Emiratis at the club.
Unlike some other teams in the City Football group, such as Troyes for example, the Gironians are not exclusively under the yoke of the City Football Group. On August 23, 2017, a share of around 44.3%, or as much as that of the CFG, was also sold to the Girona Football Group, led by Pere Guardiola, brother of the Manchester City coach. Originally from the town of Santpedor, not far from Barcelona, the Guardiola know the regionalist issues of a Catalan city like Girona: “We know and respect both Girona and its footballing tradition. I am confident that our fans and other shareholders will reap tangible benefits from this investment in the weeks, months and years to come.”underlined Pere Guardiola.
The quality of the training center
In order to maintain its identity, Girona has considerably strengthened its formation for several seasons. This year, no less than 19 players, who have passed through at least one lower club category, have been called up to the first team. Several of them have also become important elements of Míchel’s team: Arnau, Bueno, Kebe, Valery, Terrats, Ureña, Artero, Gabri, Sala and Dawda in particular. The national teams also feed on the natives of Girona, which was still hardly imaginable years ago. The Blanquivermells are now, along with Atlético de Madrid, the team that provides the most players to La Roja U-19. They outperform the big teams Barça and Real, but also the usual youth pools that have traditionally supplied many players to the lower categories of the national team, such as Villarreal, Valencia or Bilbao.
At the heart of this philosophy is a strong man: Míchel who has been sitting on the Girona bench since July 2021, signing a two-season contract at the same time. A young 46-year-old tactician, he is used to long-term projects, he who has already made the heyday of Rayo Vallecano and Huesca in the second division, winning the title with these two teams. Better yet, the Madrid-born coach is a perfect fit with the leaders’ aim to empower young elements, building on the ever-growing academy. His unwavering commitment to youngsters has helped many of them settle into the first team, including the very promising right-back Arnau. In Girona, the future looks bright and above all consistent.
