Girona

7th in La Liga Primera Division

Bayer Leverkusen sign Aleix Garcia from Girona

Bayer Leverkusen have completed the signing of midfielder Aleix Garcia from Girona. The 26-year-old played an important role as Girona recorded their best league finish, ending the season third in La Liga and competing in the title race for over half of the campaign. Leverkusen will pay €18million (£15.2m; $19.3m,) plus a further €2m in add-ons for the Spain international, roughly equivalent to the €20m release clause in his Girona contract. The Athletic reported in January that Garcia was being targeted by Barcelona and was highly regarded by senior figures at the Catalan club. Garcia...

Guillermo Rai15

Champions League not guaranteed yet - but Girona (and their ground) are ready

Pol Ballús10

UEFA, CFG in talks over Manchester City and Girona's Champions League participation

Callum Davis and Sam Lee67

Portu: 'Girona is a small club with a big mentality - we deserve our Champions League place'

Dermot Corrigan7

Girona beat Barcelona to qualify for Champions League for the first time

Callum Davis6

City Football Group's Troyes' match abandoned with club on brink of successive relegations

Troyes, the Ligue 2 club owned by the City Football Group, saw their home league match against Valenciennes abandoned following supporter unrest with the club on the brink of their second successive relegation. The game was paused in the 89th minute with the match poised at 1-1, after a number of flares and smokebombs were thrown onto the pitch from a section of the home supporters. It was subsequently abandoned by match officials. Troyes — who were relegated from Ligue 1 last season — are on the brink of their second successive demotion; the abandoning of this match leaves them seven...

Colin Millar39

Real Madrid's Champions League success can't mask Spain's coefficient crisis

In 2018, La Liga had a huge lead over other countries in UEFA's rankings. Now, it could be overtaken by the Czech Republic or Greece

Dermot Corrigan32

Daley Blind no longer 'torturing' himself over heart condition

Girona defender Daley Blind says he used to “torture” himself over his heart condition but he no longer thinks about it during matches. In December 2019, the Netherlands international was diagnosed with myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — after suffering from dizziness during Ajax’s Champions League match against Valencia that month. He was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), a device which monitors and corrects heart rhythm. Eight months later, the former Manchester United player collapsed during a pre-season friendly with Ajax in...

Colin Millar8

Football’s best up-and-coming managers: Michel, the energetic brain behind Girona's rise

The Spaniard's approach is defined by razor-sharp combination play and innovative twists on his own tactical plans

Thom Harris4

Eric Garcia interview: 'I had doubts over my role at Barcelona. I needed to prove myself at Girona'

Eric Garcia left boyhood club Barcelona for Girona on loan this summer — he has been vindicated

Pol Ballús11

UEFA relaxes multi-club rules to allow teams owned by same group to compete in different competitions

European football’s governing body UEFA has quietly relaxed its rules on multi-club ownership groups ahead of next season’s changes to its club competitions. From the 2024-25 campaign, clubs under common ownership that are prevented from playing in the same UEFA club competition will now be allowed to play in different UEFA competitions. For example, it is possible that one of Manchester United or Nice, both now under the control of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his company INEOS, could play in the Champions League, while the other plays in the Europa League or Conference League. The same would...

Matt Slater67

Aleix Garcia and the David Beckham-style set pieces pushing Girona's European dream

Garcia has had an nomadic career but has finally hit the heights predicted for him early on since joining Girona in 2021

Thom Harris7

Girona have dropped off in La Liga - but their Champions League dream is still alive

They may have slipped behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid – but morale is high at the Catalan club

Pol Ballús13

Manchester City owner CFG announces 'football collaboration' with Istanbul Basaksehir

City Football Group (CFG) has announced a “football collaboration agreement” with Turkish Super Lig side Istanbul Basaksehir. CFG is the ultimate owner of Premier League champions Manchester City. It is also the majority shareholder in a further seven clubs around the world, with minority stakes in a further three. Basaksehir was founded in 2014 and is majority owned by Goksel Gumusdag, who is also the club president. “Istanbul Basaksehir FK has achieved many firsts in Turkish football despite its young age and today, with this collaboration with the leading football group in the world,...

Mark Critchley46

Girona let La Liga dream of a title race - Real Madrid provided a reality check

Real Madrid's 4-0 win over their closest La Liga rivals reflects their strength - and the competition's weakness

Dermot Corrigan24

Four title-defining matches in six days: What we learned from them — and what they mean

We watched the title-defining games from the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A over the last week

Thom Harris21

Don't rule Ceferin out, multi-clubs, how to split £3.8bn - The Business of Football

Matt Slater breaks down all you need to know from the Paris meeting of European football's governing body, and more

Matt Slater23

Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr 'best in the world' - Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti described Vinicius Junior as the ‘best in the world’ after his performance in the four-goal victory over Girona. Vinicius Jr opened the scoring for Ancelotti’s side before providing assists for Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes as Madrid ran out comfortable winners in Saturday evening’s La Liga clash. Bellingham netted twice as Madrid stretched their lead over Girona to five points at the top of the league standings but it was Vinicius who came in for special praise from his boss after the match. “He’s the best in the...

Guillermo Rai and Colin Millar42

Real Madrid 4 Girona 0: Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham star in dominant display - The Briefing

Madrid's dominant home display will lead people to wonder - is La Liga's title race over already?

Dermot Corrigan, Pol Ballús and more36

Could Girona really cost Manchester City their Champions League place next season?

Why sister club Girona potentially qualifying for the Champions League for the first time would have ramifications for Manchester City

Jacob Whitehead79

Real Madrid v Girona is huge game in title race - so why all the talk about referees?

Girona's trip to Real Madrid on Saturday could well decide the Spanish title - but this week focus has fallen further afield

Dermot Corrigan21

With Xavi leaving Barcelona in the summer, who should they consider to replace him?

With Xavi leaving in the summer, our writers look at potential replacements for one of the biggest jobs in world football

The Athletic La Liga Writers110

Liverpool next manager contenders: Xabi Alonso, Roberto De Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann in frame

We examine eight potential replacements for Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager

Andy Jones, Thom Harris, and Liam Tharme343

Girona are top of La Liga due to Artem Dovbyk's superb all-round attacking game

The Ukrainian striker's goals and link-up play have propelled his side to the top of La Liga — we explain why he is so effective

Thom Harris2

Could Girona go on to win La Liga? Their 2.2% probability doesn't tell the whole story

Stats providers do not give Girona a high chance of holding on to top stop in Spain. Could they do it anyway?

Thom Harris15

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