The sixteenth round in La Liga reaches its climax on Sunday evening: in Barcelona, Girona visits for a regional derby that has gained significance with the excellent performances of the visitors.
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In recent years, Barcelona's Catalan neighbor has been found in La Liga, the league in which they last played in the 1950s.
This current season is a provisional highlight: the team of Daley Blind is tied in points with league leader Real Madrid. President Delfí Geli gives an interview with Sport in the run-up to this Catalan clash about the growth of his club.
"When I was a kid, I used to go to Girona; they played in the third division. Of course, I was also for Barcelona, Bernd Schuster was my first idol. Now, kids here walk around in jerseys of our striker Christian Stuani. Ten years ago, you saw jerseys of Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Espanyol on the street, but not of Girona. Not strange, because they weren't even sold. The change since then is incredible. Initially, there was a duality, people were for Girona and for Barcelona. Now, the people from Girona are for Girona, and we will reap the benefits of that in the future."
It is logically suggested that there could be further successes in the near future: Girona is eagerly compared by the Spanish press to Leicester City, the team that claimed the Premier League title out of nowhere eight years ago. Geli doesn't get ahead of himself. "What Leicester achieved is difficult, and here it might be even more difficult because there are three clubs that stand out in terms of income," says the president. So, what is the goal?
"European football is a goal because of the points total we already have. We can't shy away from this reality, nor from the excitement this team creates. We have held on for a third of the league and now we have to continue. The quality in the group won't be an issue," says Geli, himself a former player of both clubs and also of Atlético Madrid and Deportivo Alavés, among others. With the latter, he played in the famous 2001 UEFA Cup final against Liverpool, which the Spaniards lost 5-4.
Updated: 11:29, 8 Dec 2023
