We did see Leicester City making the impossible, possible in English football as magic happened week in and week out, with a team glued together with players that either found back to old tricks and having younger men in there not yet fulfilled their potential, getting everything correct.
This is like an old vinyl record set on repeat as Girona FC can go all the way this season with a formula, you thought did belong to the very old past, but fantastic to see that it can also happen in a league very much decided between the major two, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Girona FC has never really ment anything in Spanish football, but since the group also owning Man City came in as part of the plan. Pep’s brother Pere Guardiola, is the chairman of the club. Holding the position as well as being head of football agent company Sports Entertainment Group.
They took the step up to the top flight for the first time in 2019, as Pere of course had some say in that happening, being able to bring in players in special relations. There are changes happening, season in and season out, but back then in 2018/19 Girona took their steps. Three players from Man City came in on loan. They were Douglas Luiz, currently with Aston Villa, Patrick Roberts today playing for Sunderland and last Aleix Garcia, who today is back at the club, rejoining in 2021, after short spells at Dinamo Bucaresti and Eibar.
They also have their own “Jamie Vardy”, with 37 year old forward Christian Stuani captaining the team, and from being flop in English football, joining Middlesbrough from Espanyol in 2015 for a fee of €3 million. He moved back to Spain in 2017 to join Girona. Stuani has since coming in, played 212 league appearances and scored to date, 116 goals.
Another “veteran” in the team is Dutch international Daley Blind, joining from Bayern Munich in the summer. The defender with 103 caps has of course made an instant impact. Blind (33) makes this a perfect match as he becomes one of the more mature players in the group as the squad age profile is well kept under controll.
Girona are fighting in the top of La Liga with Real Madrid. They are on level points with Real, having Atletico Madrid and Barcelona 7 points behind them as they are on 45, and of course fighting on as the season proceed.
Some believe that being part of CFG would see them benefit, and of course good to have that security when pushing forward, but they are doing a highly clever job, understanding the clues to get a football club forward and up, having made some very special moves in the transfer market.
Last season they ended 10th and at present they are fighting for the title, a bit surreal, a bit like Leicester, and of course it can happen, having that special “energy” that cannot be bought with money.
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