Girona FC is creating some surprise in the Spanish La Liga. With twelve matches so far, the Barcelona-based club occupies the first position, with two points ahead of Real Madrid and four above their city neighbors, Barcelona FC. This is their fourth participation in the Spanish Premier division; hitherto their activities have been dominant in the lower rungs of Spanish football.
THE RISE OF GIRONA FC
The club was taken over by Abu Dhabi-owned, Capital Football Group in 2017 when it bought a 44.3% share in the Catalan club. Pere Guardiola, the brother of Man City manager Pep Guardiola, serves as the managing director of Girona Football Group, which has an equal 44.3% share in the club.
Compared to Real Madrid FC, Barcelona, Athletico Madrid, and even Sevilla, who are considered the perennial favorites of the Spanish La Liga, Girona FC, remains a small club with a very meagre budget. The biggest player purchase in their history is around €7.8million. Though the league is still far away from ending with a third of the matches completed, one would expect that their good run could be a result of huge capital investment, but it’s not truly so. They came into the Premier division in 2020 and for a club whose entire wage bill for the 2023/24 season is just €27, 240,000 Million Euros; they have exceeded their expectations for the season and mathematically guaranteed another year in La Liga, with their current 31 points in twelve matches
They have a crop of virtually unknown players most of who arrived this season after they lost most of their best players to bigger clubs. Oriel Romeu was bought by Barcelona FC and Taty Castellanos is now with Lazio FC of Italy.
With just 12 games into 2023-24, this is the first time in 20 years that a club other than Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid have topped the Spanish table at this stage of a season.
WOULD GIRONA FC BECOME THE NEW FORCE?
Paulo Gazzaniga, the former Tottenham FC third choice goalkeeper, Ex Man United and Bayern Munich player, Daley Blind, Brazilian Savinho, on loan from Troyes, Ukrainian Viktor Tsygankov and Eric Garcia on loan from Barcelona FC, form the spine of their team and so far, they have excelled. Guided by 47-year-old coach Michel, Girona FC took the 10th position last season and according to him, they have exceeded their expectations and continue to remain humble about the possibilities of continuing their smooth ride until the end of the season. Girona FC is a high-scoring side with 29 goals so far and their fluid and attacking quality gives the impression that they'd score many more goals.
Speaking about their prospects, Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti says;
The Catalan side has a "very big advantage" – not having to worry about European competition. "They have the chance to prepare well for games each week," said the Italian. "We have tiredness and injuries; we don't have time to recover."
With the kind of attention they have drawn and the financial backing from the new Abu Dhabi partners, their emergence as a new force in Spanish La Liga would be exciting and this would bring a new vista to Spanish football.
