Avoiding relegation was Girona’s goal this season. Now the Spanish title contender has bigger dreams

As of now, Girona and Manchester City City look set to qualify for next season’s Champions League, creating a possible conflict that few realistically could have predicted.

Mon, 27 Nov, 2023 - 16:24

Joseph Wilson

Girona’s chief executive isn’t hiding his surprise. At the start of the league season in August, Ignasi Mas-Bagà was hoping his team could avoid a costly relegation from Spanish soccer’s top tier that would badly damage the club’s growth plans for years.

Few people are more pleased — and genuinely shocked— than Mas-Bagà to see the team from the northeast corner of Spain level on points with league leaders Real Madrid one-third of the way through the season. Girona entered the latest round as the outright leader before Madrid provisionally moved top Sunday. A draw with Athletic Bilbao on Monday would then move them level on points with Madrid at 35 points, four ahead of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid who are both on 31.