Each season in at least one major European league, an unfancied team shocks everyone by catapulting themselves into a title race or a fight for a Champions League place. In 2023/24, that side is Girona.
Los Blanquivermells have emerged as Real Madrid’s main La Liga title challengers, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid not in the picture.
Girona were only promoted back to the top flight in 2022 after a three-season absence and are not a renowned powerhouse in Spain, having spent much of their history down in the lower tiers of the country’s league system.
So what’s behind the club’s recent surge towards being potential champions of Spain? Here’s everything you need to know about the La Liga title hopefuls.
The 2022/23 season was Girona’s first back in La Liga after they were relegated in 2018/19. They were promoted through the play-offs and weren’t expected to do much else other than battle against an immediate return to the Segunda Division.
Instead, they finished the season in tenth place, just four points away from a Europa Conference League place. They got 49 points and created a basis from which to build in the 2023/24 campaign.
This season has been a dream for Girona fans. It took them only two matches to reach the top four of La Liga for the first time in their history and they were then top of the table after just seven matches with 19 points.
The first real statement victory in La Liga for Girona came on 10 December, when they won 4-2 away against current champions Barcelona thanks to goals from Artem Dovbyk, Miguel Gutierrez, Valery Fernandez and Cristhian Stuani.
2024 began with a 4-3 beating of Atletico Madrid 4-3, another result which showed they could genuinely mix it with those at the top of La Liga.
They face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on 10 February with the chance to go one point clear with a win. Having lost 3-0 at home to Carlo Ancelotti’s side earlier in the season, this will be the toughest test yet.
Girona are currently led by Miguel Angel Sanchez Munoz, known as Michel. In two separate spells, he spent almost his entire playing career at Rayo Vallecano before becoming a youth coach after retiring as a player. He took Los Franjirrojos’ first-team job in February 2017, getting them promoted to La Liga in 2017/18 before being sacked in March 2019 with the side six points from safety. They were later relegated.
His next job was with Huesca, who he took…
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