“It was beautiful to see Montilivi like that,” says Girona winger Portu Athleticism.
“These are fans that during my last visit here, I saw crying with sadness at having been relegated. So to see them now crying with happiness was incredible. It’s not just about qualifying for the Champions League, it’s the way we did it, the way we played.
Cristian Portugues Manzanera, known as Portu, speaks days after Girona clinched a place in the Champions League – and any European competition – for the first time with a 4-2 home win against its Catalan rival, Barcelona.
The 31-year-old Valencia winger claims the scenes at home to Montilivi would have been unthinkable when he first joined Girona on a free transfer from second division rivals Albacete in the summer 2016. But they have become commonplace during a season in which Girona launched an unlikely challenge for the title.
“For Girona to qualify for the Champions League, they would say you were crazy. They had never played in the Primera (the Spanish elite), but a lot of work has been done in this direction,” he said. “This club is small and humble, but its mentality has never been that of a small club we always had to move forward step by step and never accept a ceiling.
Portu contributed eight goals and eight assists in his first season with Girona as they won promotion to La Liga in 2017. In his (and their) first season in the top flight, he scored 11 times, including a header in a 2-1 win over Real Madrid.
The project suffered a setback when Girona were relegated the following season. Portu was sold to Real Sociedad for €10 million ($10.7 million; £8.6 million at current exchange rates), where he won the 2019-20 Copa del Rey, before join Getafe in summer 2022.
Then, at the end of the last summer transfer window, he got an unexpected chance to return to Girona in a €1.5 million deal. He knew a few of their players from his first tenure, including top scorer Cristhian Stuani, playmaker Aleix Garcia and central defender Juanpi.
“These people have gone through difficult times, relegation and seasons in Segunda (the second division),” says Portu. “That’s the key: they have this very strong feeling of belonging, they love the club and want to achieve great things. We tried to transmit this feeling to the young players, to those who arrive here, so that they understand .
Other players arrived last summer, including goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga and veteran defender Daley Blind on free transfers from Fulham and Bayern Munich, while they spent €7.75 million on the striker Ukrainian Artem Dovbyk.
Girona belong to the City Football Group, which has allowed them to sign Brazilian starlets Yan Couto and Savio on loan as well as Colombian midfielder Yangel Herrera from Manchester City.
“I remember a conversation with the ‘mister’ (manager Michel) towards the start of the season,” says Portu. “I told him that seeing the team training, the quality of the squad, reminded me a lot of the level of Real Sociedad when we were playing in the Europa League. Competitive people, a mix of veterans and young people with a lot of potential. And Michel agreed that we could fight to qualify for Europe.
Portu quickly bonded with Michel, whose CV as a player and manager includes struggles at modest clubs like Rayo Vallecano, Malaga and Huesca.
“Many coaches do not manage the personal side very well, on a daily basis with the player. Michel is very good at that,” says Portu. “Sometimes when we all eat together after training, he sits with us. We talk about football and life. We see that he is happy here, that he is exploiting his potential to the maximum. It’s the same with players.
Portu hit the ground running in his second spell at Girona, scoring wins against Las Palmas, Granada, Osasuna, Real Mallorca and Almeria. He and Stuani were often substitutes, with Savio and Ukrainian Victor Tsygankov flying on the wings.
“We play like this because Michel is an excellent coach, the best I have had,” he says. “He wants Girona to be the protagonist of every match. At the start of the week, we watch a video, correcting errors. He does something that a lot of coaches don’t do, which is tell you where you did things well. And from the middle of the week, we focus entirely on the next opponent and how he thinks we can hurt him.
Such preparation and performance gave Girona momentum over the winter break and they were Madrid’s only potential rivals in the title race. This raised expectations during their visit to the Bernabeu in mid-February, where they froze and lost 4-0.
“We were faced with reality at the Bernabeu, a punch in the face, but it made us stronger,” Portu says. “We learned as a team. The “gentleman” made sure that we did not lose any confidence and that we continued to believe in the way we played.
Narrow defeats followed at Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca, but Girona continued to win at home and continued to score numerous goals – 13 in four games against Rayo, Osasuna, Betis and Cádiz, before the visit of Barcelona.
In this match, with Girona trailing 2-1 and with just 25 minutes to go, Portu came on alongside Yan Couto, as part of a tactical change.
Almost from his first touch, he completed a fluid move to equalize. He then helped set up left-back Miguel Gutierrez’s deflected strike to give Girona the lead, before launching a spectacular first-time volley past Marc Andre ter Stegen to make it 4-2.
It was a stunning moment of individual quality, but all three goals came straight from the training pitch. “As always, the ‘sir’ explained how we could harm them, by getting behind their defense,” Portu explains. “When Yan and I were about to come on, he told Yan to stay away and me to come towards (Pau centre-back) Cubarsi. But Cubarsi was attracted to Ivan Martin, coming from No.10. I had a lot of space — (left-back Joao) Cancelo was worried about Yan and Cubarsi was worried about Ivan. I could exploit it.
Barca coach Xavi says Barca have been “superior” in both meetings with Girona this season.
“Everyone always tries to downplay the storm they are facing,” Portu says of Xavi’s words. “As our ‘sir’ said, Barça had some very good periods, but they left us alive. And if you leave a dangerous opponent alive, they will kill you.
Blaugrana president Joan Laporta was visibly angry after the two defeats against Girona, a club that was not even on Barca’s radar until recent years.
“Barça has always been No. 1 in Catalonia,” says Portu. “Espanyol have spent many seasons in the Primera. Girona has always been number 3, far down in the divisions. For Girona fans, beating Barça and leading them in the standings is a matter of great pride. You see kids wearing Girona jerseys, collecting stickers and hoping for a Girona player. The feeling of the club in the city has transformed.
Although qualification for the Champions League is assured with four matches remaining, finishing second would see them join champions Madrid and Copa del Rey finalists Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca in January’s Super Cup. .
“We’re not on vacation yet,” Portu says. “We are very excited about the Super Cup, two games away from winning a trophy.
“We haven’t really had time to think about what we’ve done, but there is huge excitement in the city and among the staff at the idea of teams like Bayern Munich and Paris coming. Saint-Germain Everyone will get goosebumps when they hear the Champions League anthem in Montilivi.
Such scenes are not yet confirmed. Girona’s rapid growth in recent years has led to the use of temporary stands to increase the ground’s capacity from 9,000 to 14,000. UEFA does not allow such structures and potential solutions could include playing at Montjuic, Barcelona’s temporary home, or Espanyol’s Stage Front Stadium, both around 90 minutes away.
“Girona fans deserve to experience a Champions League in their stadium. That would take away a little from this beautiful story.
UEFA will have to rule on the qualification of Girona and Manchester City for the same competition given that CFG owns 100 percent of City and 47 percent of Girona. A deal is expected to be reached – with precedents involving ‘sister clubs’ RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg, Aston Villa and Vitoria Guimaraes, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion and Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium.
When asked if Girona players feel a sense of belonging at CFG, Portu says his experience is that of local figures, including president Delfi Geli (former Girona player) and long-time sporting director Quique Carcel , who are the main decision-makers.
“It’s true that (Girona president and Pep’s brother) Pere Guardiola congratulated us, but the day-to-day management of the club is still carried out by the same people as when I arrived here.”
CFG will play a role in Girona’s summer transfer planning as the futures of Savio, Herrera and Couto are uncertain. There will be interest in others who have shone, notably Dovbyk, who leads the race for La Liga top scorer with 20 goals.
“It’s going to be a great summer,” says Portu. “Some players have had incredible seasons and shown that they are at the highest level. But now they have the chance to play the Champions League here. There will also be players who want to come here now. They will have seen how we play, always in attack, and know that it is a good showcase.
Portu is under contract until 2027 and says he now feels fully at home at Girona, with this season’s success having erased painful memories of his previous departure.
“It wasn’t easy to leave, but it was necessary, for the club and for me,” he says. “I always watched Girona matches and wanted to come back. I had this thorn in my side, that of relegation, of seeing so many people suffering, supporters and staff of the club, in tears. I felt like I would let them down. Seeing all the fans crying with joy after the (Barça) match, that thorn was removed forever.
(Top photo: Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)