Girona FC

Girona

Full name	Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Blanquivermells (White and Reds), Gironistes
Founded	23 July 1930 (1930-07-23)
Ground	Estadi Montilivi
Capacity	14,624
Owner	City Football Group (47%) Marcelo Claure (35%) Girona Football Group (16%) Others (1–2%)
President	Delfí Geli
Head coach	Míchel
League	La Liga
2023–24	La Liga, 3rd of 20
Website	gironafc.cat
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D. (Catalan: [ʒiˈɾonə] zhi-RO-nuh) is a Spanish professional football club based in Girona, Catalonia. Founded on 23 July 1930, the team plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 Segunda División play-offs.

Girona holds its home matches at the 14,624-capacity Estadi Montilivi. It is a part of City Football Group Limited. The club also has youth and amateur women's teams for competition.

History

Football became of particular interest in Girona at the beginning of the 20th century. The first major club in the city was Strong Esport (founded in 1902 under the original name of FC Gerundense). Some of the team's first players were Narciso Callicó and Salvador Hormeu, both of whom went on to play for FC Barcelona. In the 1920s, football gained strength with clubs such as CE Gironí, founded in 1921, but above all by Unió Deportiva Girona, founded on 13 February of the same year, when the elements united of the Sports Center Gironenc, heirs of the dissolved Strong, with other sports enthusiasts. The club soon became the strongest in the city. UD Girona, however, disappeared in 1929 due to financial problems, following a debt of around 200,000 pesetas (a real fortune for those times). After the disappearance of the UD Girona it was decided to create a new football team in the city.

On 23 July 1930, in the café Norat in La Rambla of Girona, Girona Futbol Club was founded upon the dissolution of Unió Esportiva Girona for economic reasons. On 1 August 1930, the city council authorized the club so that it could use the city's emblem on its badges. It was achieved thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts led by the club's first president Albert de Quintana de León. The team subsequently entered in the second division of the Catalan Championships. Its first official match was against Colònia Artigas with the lineup: Florenza, Teixidor, Farró, Flavià, Comas, Corradi, Ferrer, Escuder, Clara, Torrellas and Taradellas.

1935–36 was the first season Girona played in Segunda División, and the club finished in top position in its group, subsequently appearing in the playoff stage against Celta de Vigo, Real Zaragoza, Arenas Club, Real Murcia and Xerez, but finishing second from bottom, thus out of the La Liga promotion zone.

Chart of Girona FC league performance 1929–2023

After the Spanish Civil War, the club fluctuated between the second level and Tercera División, falling into the latter category in 1959 and being further demoted in 1980 – Segunda División B was created as the new division three in 1977, and the club lasted three years in the competition. In 1968, construction of the Estadi Montilivi began, with home matches being held there on a permanent basis from 1970 onwards after nearly five decades at the Vista Alegre stadium.

In the following decades, Girona alternated between the third and the fourth divisions, even spending three seasons in the regional championships, in 1982–83 and 1997–99. On 16 June 2008, after defeating Ceuta 1–0 in the play-offs, the Raül Agné-led side achieved a second consecutive promotion, returning to the second tier after a 49-year absence.

On 22 July 2010, a group of local businessmen led by Ramon Vilaró, Joaquim Boadas and Josep Slim purchased 72% of the club's shares, previously held by former club president Josep Gusó and Josep Rofes, thus becoming the new owners of Girona. Vilaró was elected the new president while Agné, after a spell with Recreativo, returned as manager for the upcoming second division campaign, lasting in the position until 14 January 2012 when he was sacked following a 0–3 loss at Recreativo.

In 2011, Girona created a reserve team, having previously grown a natural grass pitch in Palau. On 9 May 2013, the club's board of directors, under the slogan "El Girona FC també és meu" ("Girona FC is mine too"), approved an increase of the club's capital in €300,000 to be distributed in €10 shares, aiming to balance its estate.

On the last matchday of the 2014–15 season, Girona needed to beat Lugo at home to earn promotion to La Liga, but were denied by a last-minute goal by the visitors. Girona had to settle for a play-off place, but were eliminated in the semi-finals by Real Zaragoza, despite winning the first leg 3–0. The next season, they reached the play-off final but were defeated by Osasuna. Girona finally earned promotion to La Liga after the 2016–17 season as they finished runners-up to Levante. This was the first time that Girona had ever been promoted to La Liga in their 87-year history.

On 23 August 2017, it was announced City Football Group (CFG), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi United Group, had purchased 44.3% ownership in Girona. Another 44.3% was held by Girona Football Group, led by Pere Guardiola, the brother of CFG-owned Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. On 29 October 2017, Girona recorded a memorable victory, defeating reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid 2–1.

On the last match day of the 2018–19 La Liga season, Girona were relegated to Segunda Division, after losing 2–1 against Deportivo Alavés, ending their two-year spell in the Spanish top tier. In the 2021–22 season Girona finished sixth in the Segunda Division and were promoted to La Liga in the play-offs, beating Tenerife 3–1 on aggregate in the final. In the 2022–23 season they finished 10th with 49 points, 4 points away from a UEFA Europa Conference League play-off spot.

In the 2023–24 season, Girona reached the top 4 of La Liga for the first time after 2 matches, soon reaching the top of the La Liga table after 7 matches with 19 points, the club's best-ever start in top flight football. On 10 December 2023, they defeated FC Barcelona in the league for the first time, a 2–4 away victory taking them to the top of the table with 41 points and just 1 defeat, their best ever record in La Liga after just 16 rounds. As of 5 February 2024, they sat second in the La Liga table, with 56 points from 23 games, and with only a single loss, placing them 2 points behind Real Madrid. On 4 May 2024, Girona achieved a 4–2 victory over Barcelona, securing their first qualification to the UEFA Champions League and its first European qualification and finished the season in 3rd place with 81 points.

In the 2024–25 season, Girona played their first competitive international match against French-side Paris Saint-Germain in a 1–0 loss at the Parc des Princes on 18 September. David López converted Girona's first international goal when he scored the opening goal of a 2–3 loss against Dutch-side Feyenoord on 2 October.

Training centre

The club's new training facilities have been under construction since December 2017, located at the PGA Catalunya Golf Course complex to the south of Girona. Occupying an area of 20,000 m² (220,000 sq ft), the new complex will serve as the exclusive training centre of the club for the next 3+1⁄2 years. It will be home to a 110 m × 72 m (361 ft × 236 ft) training pitch of hybrid grass as well as a 160 m × 72 m (525 ft × 236 ft) pitch of natural grass, in addition to indoor training facilities.

Season to season

Main article: List of Girona FC seasons

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey 1933–34 3 3ª 1st 1934–35 2 2ª 4th Third round 1935–36 2 2ª 1st Round of 16 1939–40 2 2ª 3rd First round 1940–41 2 2ª 4th Third round 1941–42 2 2ª 5th 1942–43 2 2ª 6th 1943–44 3 3ª 5th Second round 1944–45 3 3ª 3rd 1945–46 3 3ª 6th 1946–47 3 3ª 4th 1947–48 3 3ª 1st Third round 1948–49 2 2ª 10th Round of 16 1949–50 2 2ª 9th Third round 1950–51 2 2ª 16th 1951–52 3 3ª 6th 1952–53 3 3ª 8th 1953–54 3 3ª 2nd 1954–55 3 3ª 1st 1955–56 3 3ª 2nd

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey 1956–57 2 2ª 9th 1957–58 2 2ª 9th 1958–59 2 2ª 15th First round 1959–60 3 3ª 11th 1960–61 3 3ª 4th 1961–62 3 3ª 2nd 1962–63 3 3ª 4th 1963–64 3 3ª 6th 1964–65 3 3ª 7th 1965–66 3 3ª 7th 1966–67 3 3ª 3rd 1967–68 3 3ª 8th 1968–69 3 3ª 11th 1969–70 3 3ª 3rd Second round 1970–71 3 3ª 2nd First round 1971–72 3 3ª 8th First round 1972–73 3 3ª 2nd Second round 1973–74 3 3ª 3rd First round 1974–75 3 3ª 6th Second round 1975–76 3 3ª 3rd First round

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey 1976–77 3 3ª 2nd Third round 1977–78 3 2ª B 6th Third round 1978–79 3 2ª B 13th Third round 1979–80 3 2ª B 19th First round 1980–81 4 3ª 7th 1981–82 4 3ª 18th 1982–83 5 Reg. Pref. 1st 1983–84 4 3ª 9th 1984–85 4 3ª 7th 1985–86 4 3ª 2nd 1986–87 4 3ª 7th First round 1987–88 3 2ª B 19th 1988–89 4 3ª 1st First round 1989–90 3 2ª B 12th 1990–91 3 2ª B 7th Second round 1991–92 3 2ª B 3rd 1992–93 3 2ª B 15th Third round 1993–94 3 2ª B 15th First round 1994–95 3 2ª B 18th First round 1995–96 4 3ª 13th

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey 1996–97 4 3ª 19th 1997–98 5 1ª Cat. 5th 1998–99 5 1ª Cat. 1st 1999–2000 4 3ª 7th 2000–01 4 3ª 8th 2001–02 4 3ª 9th 2002–03 4 3ª 2nd 2003–04 3 2ª B 7th 2004–05 3 2ª B 17th Round of 32 2005–06 4 3ª 1st 2006–07 4 3ª 2nd First round 2007–08 3 2ª B 1st 2008–09 2 2ª 16th Third round 2009–10 2 2ª 14th Third round 2010–11 2 2ª 11th Second round 2011–12 2 2ª 15th Second round 2012–13 2 2ª 4th Second round 2013–14 2 2ª 15th Round of 32 2014–15 2 2ª 3rd Third round 2015–16 2 2ª 4th Second round

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey 2016–17 2 2ª 2nd Second round 2017–18 1 1ª 10th Round of 32 2018–19 1 1ª 18th Quarter-finals 2019–20 2 2ª 5th Round of 32 2020–21 2 2ª 5th Round of 16 2021–22 2 2ª 6th Round of 16 2022–23 1 1ª 10th Second round 2023–24 1 1ª 3rd Quarter-finals 2024–25 1 1ª

• 5 seasons in La Liga
• 24 seasons in Segunda División
• 13 seasons in Segunda División B
• 44 seasons in Tercera División
• 3 seasons in Categorías Regionales

European record

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Opponent	Home	Away
2024–25	UEFA Champions League	League phase		Paris Saint-Germain	—	0–1
				Feyenoord	2–3	—
				Slovan Bratislava	2–0	—
				PSV Eindhoven	—	0–4
				Sturm Graz	—
				Liverpool		—
				Milan	—
				Arsenal		—

Players

First team squad

As of 30 August 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ESP	Juan Carlos
3	DF	ESP	Miguel Gutiérrez
4	DF	ESP	Arnau Martínez (3rd captain)
5	DF	ESP	David López
6	MF	NED	Donny van de Beek
7	FW	URU	Cristhian Stuani (captain)
8	FW	UKR	Viktor Tsyhankov
9	FW	ESP	Abel Ruiz
10	FW	COL	Yáser Asprilla
11	FW	NED	Arnaut Danjuma (on loan from Villarreal)
13	GK	ARG	Paulo Gazzaniga
14	MF	ESP	Oriol Romeu (on loan from Barcelona)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	DF	ESP	Juanpe
16	DF	ESP	Alejandro Francés
17	DF	NED	Daley Blind
18	DF	CZE	Ladislav Krejčí
19	FW	MKD	Bojan Miovski
20	FW	ESP	Bryan Gil (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
21	MF	VEN	Yangel Herrera
22	MF	COL	Jhon Solís
23	MF	ESP	Iván Martín (vice-captain)
24	FW	ESP	Portu
25	GK	ESP	Pau López (on loan from Marseille)
27	FW	NED	Gabriel Misehouy

Reserve team

Main article: Girona FC B

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
28	MF	ESP	Silvi Clua
29	FW	KOR	Kim Min-su
30	MF	ESP	Enric García
31	FW	POR	Jastin García
33	DF	ESP	Marc Aznar
34	FW	VEN	Juan Arango
35	DF	HUN	Antal Yaakobishvili

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
37	MF	ESP	Raúl Martínez
41	GK	ESP	Pau García
42	GK	ESP	Lucas García
43	GK	BUL	Aleksandar Andreev
44	FW	SEN	Papa Ba
45	DF	ESP	Ferran Ruiz
46	FW	MTN	Dawda Camara

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	ESP	Toni Fuidias (at Cartagena until 30 June 2025)
—	DF	ESP	Valery Fernández (at Mallorca until 30 June 2025)
—	MF	MLI	Ibrahima Kébé (at Lommel until 30 June 2025)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	MAR	Ilyas Chaira (at Oviedo until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	ESP	Joel Roca (at Mirandés until 30 June 2025)

Club officials

Current technical staff

Position	Staff
Head coach	Míchel
Assistant coach	Salvador Fúnez
Fitness coach	David Porcel
Goalkeeping coach	Juan Carlos Balaguer

Last updated: 8 November 2021
Source: Girona (in Spanish)

Board of directors

Office	Name
President	Delfí Geli
Chairman	Pere Guardiola
Board members	Marcelo Claure
	John MacBeath
	Roger Solé
	Simon Cliff
	Ingo Bank
Secretary of the Board	Ricard Capdevila
Chief executive officer	Ignacio Mas-Bagà

Last updated: December 2022
Source: Girona FC

Coaches

• Francisco Bru (1937–39)
• Károly Plattkó (1948–49)
• Hilario (1949–50)
• Domènec Balmanya (1952)
• Emilio Aldecoa (1955–57), (1959–60)
• Dagoberto Moll (1965–66)
• Emilio Aldecoa (1967–68)
• Vicenç Sasot (1972–74)
• Emilio Aldecoa (1974–76)
• Lluís Coll (1976)
• Vicenç Sasot (1979–80)
• Pepe Pinto (1980–81), (1981–82)
• Luis Costa (1981–82)
• Emilio Aldecoa (1982)
• Antonio Lagunas (1987)
• Alfonso Muñoz Jaso (1987–88), (1993–95)
• José Manuel (1988)
• Paco Bonachera (1993)
• Pere Gratacós (1997–99)
• Narcís Julià (2003)
• Agustín Abadía (2003–04)
• Josep María Nogués (2005)
• Joan Carrillo (2006–07)
• Ricardo Rodríguez (2007)
• Raül Agné (2007–09)
• Javi Salamero (2009)
• Miquel Olmo (2009)
• Cristóbal Parralo (2009)
• Narcís Julià (2009–10)
• Raül Agné (2010–12)
• Josu Uribe (2012)
• Javi Salamero (2012)
• Rubi (2012–13)
• Ricardo Rodríguez (2013)
• Javi López (2013–14)
• Pablo Machín (2014–18)
• Eusebio Sacristán (2018–19)
• Juan Carlos Unzué (2019)
• José Luis Martí (2019–20)
• Francisco (2020–21)
• Míchel (2021–)

Honours

Domestic

• Segunda División B
  • Winners (1): 2007–08
• Tercera División
  • Winners (5): 1933–34, 1947–48, 1954–55, 1988–89, 2005–06

Regional titles

• Supercopa de Catalunya
  • Winners (1): 2019

Player records

Most appearances

Competitive, professional matches only. Up to date as of 24 August 2024

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	Europe	Other	Total
1	Cristhian Stuani	2017–present	228	11	0	10	247
2	Juanpe	2016–present	224	10	0	12	246
3	Borja García	2015–2020 2021–2024	215	9	0	9	233
4	Álex Granell	2014–2020	214	8	0	10	232
5	Migue	2007–2014	224	7	0	0	231
6	Pere Pons	2013–2019	198	7	0	6	211
7	Aday Benítez	2014–2021	185	5	0	9	199
8	Jonás Ramalho	2013–2021	168	20	0	3	191
9	José	2005–2013	167	4	0	4	175
10	Jandro	2010–2015	165	7	0	3	175

Top goalscorers

Competitive, professional matches only. Up to date as of 24 August 2024

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	Europe	Matches	Total
1	Cristhian Stuani	2017–present	120	6	0	247	129
2	Portu	2016–2019 2023–present	35	2	0	152	37
3	Jandro	2010–2015	36	1	0	175	37
4	Felipe Sanchón	2005–2006 2009 2012–2017	35	1	0	153	36
5	Fran Sandaza	2014–2015 2016–2018	25	0	0	73	25
6	Javier Acuña	2011–2013	21	0	0	57	21
7	Jaime Mata	2014–2016	21	0	0	82	21
8	Borja García	2015–2020 2021–2024	21	0	0	233	21
9	Roberto Peragón	2009–2011	20	0	0	76	20
10	Ranko Despotović	2010–2011	18	1	0	35	19

See also

• CF Peralada-Girona B
• Girona FC B
• CF Riudellots

External links

• Official website (in Catalan and Spanish)
• Girona FC at BDFutbol