HISTORY

On 23 July 1930, Girona FC was founded, filling the void left by Unió Deportiva Gerona, an entity that had been established in the early 1920s and disappeared due to economic problems, with a debt of around 200,000 pesetas (a significant fortune at the time). At the Norat cafe on La Rambla, Girona FC was created thanks to enthusiasts such as Albert de Quintana i León, Andreu de Benito, Manuel de Chopitea, Lluís Ribas, Josep Maria Pla Dalmau, Francesc Figueras, Joaquim Medrano, Antoni Güell, Rafael Portas, Amadeu Oliva, Dr. Roca Pinet, and the gentlemen Coll and Poch. Within a few weeks, a real football fever began in Girona. On August 1, the City Council authorized the club to use its emblem. The board reached an agreement with the Catalan federation to include the new team in the planned expansion of the 2nd category, but the management was unsuccessful, and the team had to start playing in the 2nd ordinary category. The first official team match was held at the Artigas Colony field (1-1, with a goal by Clara). The historic first line-up consisted of: Florenza, Teixidor, Farró, Flavià, Comas, Corradi, Ferrer, Escuder, Clara, Tarradellas, and Torrellas. The team, which was promoted in its first year of existence, was coached by Josep Viñas, who was also the president of the college of amateur referees of Girona. In February, the City Council decided to grant an annual subsidy of 2,000 pesetas to the club, on the condition that Girona renounced another grant for Fairs, ceded the facilities of Vista Alegre for any municipal interest celebrations, and allowed free entry to 100 students from the city's national schools.

Regarding sports, the first years of Girona were prolific, but if it were necessary to highlight a season above all, it was 1935-36. Before the start, the club transferred the players Iborra and Balmanya to FC Barcelona. Girona received 15,000 pesetas in exchange, the transfer of two players, and the commitment of the Barça club for a friendly match on All Saints’ Day. Despite theoretical weaknesses, the Girona players had an exceptional season in the 2nd division (champions, ahead of Arenas and Baracaldo), and thus earned the right to play the promotion phase in the division together with Celta, Zaragoza, Arenas, Murcia, and Jerez. Girona, finishing second to last, was not promoted. The team of this historic season was composed of: Francàs, Farró, Torredeflot, Campa, Castillo, Madern, Lluch, Trujillo, Burillo, Ramon, and Ferrer. That same year, Girona played in the Spanish Cup and was eliminated by Real Betis with an aggregate score of 5-3 (1-2 in Vista Alegre and 3-2 in Sevilla).

Domènec Balmanya left Girona to play with FC Barcelona's first team. His undoubted quality allowed this meteoric ascent, just crushed by war, which doubtlessly cut off the progress towards international recognition. Balmanya was the head coach of FC Barcelona, a member of the Barça expedition, who in 1937 made a tour to Mexico and the United States, being a player of the Catalan team and Sète, of the 1st French division, which led to the championship title of France. Balmanya was even part of a sort of European team - where there was also Ricardo Zamora - who faced France in a friendly game. After the war (and preceded by the double set), he returned to Barça, played first with Nàstic and retired to Sant Andreu as coach and player.

As a coach, Balmanya’s first team was Girona. He then coached Zaragoza, Oviedo, Barcelona (he was also the technical director), Sète, Valencia, Espanyol, Betis, Málaga, Atlético de Madrid and Cádiz. In 1966, the Spanish Federation appointed him as national coach.

Between 1936 and 1939, there was little football, and nobody seemed to push in order to place Girona in the first division. The civil war reduced the activity to a couple of Catalan leagues, a Mediterranean league (Valencian and Catalan teams) and a lot of friendly matches were played with certain purposes: to the benefit of the victims of fascism, to the benefit of the militias anti-fascists, matches for Hospitals of Blood ... The ravages of the war also affected Vista Alegre, where two bombs had fallen. Football was back to normal in the season 1939-40, with the team playing the league of the Catalan category and the 2nd national division. The team was consolidated on the 2nd national level, but in the post-war phase, the objectives had changed: the ascent was seen as a distant dream and the priority objective was to fight for permanence. The team went descended to the 3rd division in the 1942-43 season, regained the 2nd division in 1947-48 and alternated the two categories in the following way: 1948-51 (second division), 1951-56 (third division), 1956-59 (second), 1959-77 (third), 1977-80 (second B) and 1980-82 (third)..

Among the players who clearly marked a time at the Girona FC, apart from Mingu Balmanya, the following names should also be highlighted.

He defended the colours of Girona FC from the year of its founding, in 1930, until 1946, almost always as the undisputed title holder (he exceeded 600 games with the white-and-white shirt). He arrived at the age of 17, coming from the Sub-19 of the Union Deportiva Gerona. He was a full-time sportsman and mirror for Girona fans. This defender, who had the chance to sign for Espanyol in the 1935-36 season, was paid at the gates of retirement one of the most impressive tributes remembered in the history of the Girona FC, with the presence, in Vista Alegre, of the very best players of Catalan Football. After disassociating himself from Girona, Farró still played some seasons in Palafrugell, Olot and Bisbalenc.

Isidre Sala, the only international Olympic Footballer coming from the Girona region. The former player of Figueres and Banyoles, Isidre Sala (Vilamalla, September 29, 1940) arrived in Girona in the 1963-64 season and remained until the 1975-76 campaign. An elegant and widespread central defender, whose qualities were clearly shown when 1968 he was given the opportunity to be part of the Spanish Olympic team in the Olympics held in Mexico. Sala was the object of a massive tribute on August 26, 1976, during which the Catalan Football Federation awarded him the Medal of Argent to the Sports Merit.

Girona FC, founded on July 25, 1930, did not celebrate its silver anniversary, but the management made every effort to organize a 50th anniversary worthy of being remembered for a long time. On August 9, 1980, Real Sociedad, featuring players like Arkonada, Zamora, López Ufarte, Satrústegui... played – and won (1-2) – the 11th edition of the Costa Brava Trophy (1.5 million pesetas in revenue, while Real Sociedad earned 2 million). The visit of Real Madrid for the second consecutive year, on August 13, in the 4th edition of the Immortal Trophy, helped compensate for the deficit left by the visit of the Basque team (5 million in revenue, with Madrid earning 4.5 million). The highlight of Girona FC's golden anniversary was the visit of FC Barcelona (a 1-2 victory for Barça and 1.5 million in earnings for the Girona club). On the occasion of the 50th anniversary, Montilivi saw the best teams in the country parade through. Girona's supporters rallied behind the team, nearly filling the stadium for these three stellar matches, and the club managed to cover a parallel budget of 11 million pesetas (it also organized concerts, one of them featuring Miguel Bosé).

Surely, coinciding with the club's 50th anniversary, this was the last period remembered for large crowds at Montilivi. The team, which played in the third division, had enough quality to spark the interest of fans. Girona's typical starting eleven consisted of Martínez Puig, Bou, Julià II, Sala II, Fàbregas, Garcia Castany, Morata, Arredondo, Julià I, Masferrer, and Chaves.

We are in the 1981-82 season. The economic problems are severe – the global debt exceeds 15 million pesetas – and, in sports terms, the team faces a season full of obstacles that ends with relegation to the regional preferred division. Since the 1933-34 season, Girona had not played in the regional division. The transfers of Julià II and Requena to Zaragoza (3,850,000 pesetas) prevent the red numbers from skyrocketing, but the debt is already approaching 19 million pesetas. Fortunately, the team becomes champion (with Alfons Muñoz as coach) and the ordeal of playing in the regional preferred division lasts only one year. Girona now faces five consecutive seasons in the third division before celebrating another promotion, in the 1988-89 season, to the second division B (the year of Delfí Geli and with Xavi Agustí as coach). While the team is growing in sports terms, economically the club has to balance its finances and seems to be in a state of permanent crisis. The municipalization of Montilivi in 1984 was a patch. It only temporarily solved the problem. Two years later, the club was again accumulating considerable debts, but the team, under Xavi Agustí, seemed unaffected and performed well, especially in the 1991/92 season when third place in the second division B league opened the doors to the second division A for the first time in a long time.

The team started the promotion phase poorly – losses against Villarreal (1-2) and Linense (2-0) – but recovered with three consecutive victories – Linense (4-1), Villarreal (2-4), and Salamanca (1-0) – and reached the last match at the Helmántico depending on themselves to get promoted. But it was not to be: Salamanca won 1-0, and it was Villarreal who got promoted. The typical lineup consisted of Soldevila, Planagumà, Sagué, Roteta, Boada, Mercader, Darnés, Raúl, Juli, Corominas, and Oliveras. When the players finished the promotion, they were owed five months of bonuses, and the club's global debt had already exceeded 30 million pesetas.

The seasons following 1991/92 were difficult. In 1992-93 and 1993-94, the team narrowly avoided relegation, both in terms of sports performance (15th place in both seasons) and bureaucracy (debts to players became a real threat). However, in 1994-95, Girona faltered and was mathematically relegated with four games remaining. Two seasons later, the team hit rock bottom with the second relegation to the third division in its history. This time, it was not to the Preferent division, as the 1st Catalan division had been created a few years earlier. With three different coaches (Masferrer, Garcia Castany, and Joan Riera), the team only won 6 out of 40 matches.

The arrival of Pere Saguer as president (1996-97) halted Girona's negative trend, but there was a long road ahead to pull the club out of the negative spiral and gradually restore its image and credibility. Saguer, who had already been president in the 1967-68 season, prevented the deficit from growing. Subsequent management teams faced a challenging task and were constantly focused on finding an economic and sporting balance that Girona had not achieved for many years. Economic regeneration became a priority, but so was escaping the depths of the 1st Catalan division. In the 1999/2000 season, the third division was regained, and with the arrival of the new millennium, the club achieved almost complete financial recovery and began to set new, much more ambitious goals.

The first major reward came soon, in the 2002/03 season, when the club regained a place in the Segunda División B after an excellent promotion playoff (five wins and only one loss). It was the second promotion in five seasons and a return to a category that had been lost in the 1994/95 campaign. In the 2003-2004 season, the club maintained the category, but in 2004-2005, it returned to the third division after finishing the season in 17th place.

From Third to the Second Division

The following campaign, with Josep Gusó as president, marked the beginning of the successful trajectory that led the club to the second division of Spanish football. Champions of the third division in the 2005-2006 season, achieving promotion to Segunda B the following campaign. A year later, in the 2007-2008 season, promotion to Segunda División A was achieved. To accomplish this, two playoffs were won, first against Barakaldo and then against Ceuta, with a packed Montilivi stadium.

The Prodigious DecadeSeason 2008/09: After a commendable first half of the season, where it seemed that salvation would be achieved comfortably, Girona FC experienced a dangerous downturn in the second half. With five games remaining in the league and the team five points above relegation, coach Raúl Agné was dismissed. Javi Salamero took over. The club secured survival with three games to spare.Season 2009/10: Narcís Julià replaced Cristóbal Parralo as the new coach after an erratic start. Girona struggled greatly and was on the verge of losing the category. A penalty converted by Kiko Ratón in the 94th minute of the last match against Murcia ensured Girona's survival in the category.Season 2010/11: Girona FC finished in 11th place in the standings, with 57 points, going 10 games unbeaten at one point.Season 2011/12: The club earned 700,000 euros from the sale of Ranko Despotovic to Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds. After a challenging start to the league, the threat of relegation loomed over Montilivi again. Javier Salamero replaced Josu Uribe, and the team once again secured survival with two games to spare.Season 2012/13: With the goal of achieving survival, Rubi, who had been the assistant coach, took charge of the team. Girona had a magnificent start and was already in the playoff positions by the second matchday. They finished the first half of the season in second place with 38 points. In the second half, they maintained a battle with AD Alcorcón, Villarreal CF, UD Las Palmas, and UD Almeria for the second spot. In the promotion playoff, they eliminated Alcorcón but lost in the final round to Almeria, who eventually earned promotion to the Primera División.Season 2013/14: Girona, which had just filed for bankruptcy protection, entrusted the sports department to Ricardo Rodríguez, who remained on the bench until December 18, 2013. Javi López replaced him, but the team's situation did not improve. Consequently, the management, now led by Francesc Rebled as president, replacing Joaquim Boadas, opted for another coaching change with the arrival of Pablo Machín. The coach from Soria proved to be the expected catalyst and managed to secure Girona's survival on the last matchday after 23 consecutive weeks in the relegation zone.Season 2014-2015: The best season in the recent history of Girona FC. The team, led by Pablo Machín, had an extraordinary, record-breaking year: they finished with an impressive 82 points and were the best-performing away team in the Liga Adelante. Despite this, they had to play for direct promotion to the Primera División in the last match, held at Montilivi, against Lugo. However, a 1-1 draw against the Galicians closed the doors to direct promotion. Finally, in the playoff, against Zaragoza at La Romareda, they achieved an excellent 0-3 victory. In the return leg at Montilivi, the Aragonese team overturned the score against a Girona still emotionally affected by the result of the last matchday.In the 2015-2016 season, Girona once again played in the promotion playoffs to the Primera División. In the first round, with home advantage, they faced Córdoba CF, the fifth-placed team, in a two-legged tie. Things did not start well for Pablo Machín's team, as they conceded two goals in the first 12 minutes of the first leg at the Arcángel. A goal before halftime kept the tie open (2-1). The return leg at Montilivi was nerve-wracking, as the Andalusians scored first. Two goals from Girona led to a draw, forcing extra time, during which Girona scored a third goal to advance to the final (3-1). The final was held on June 12, 2016. In the first leg at El Sadar, the home team won 2-1. The return leg, three days later at Montilivi, also went in Osasuna's favor (0-1), once again halting Girona's dream of promotion.Historic Promotion

June 4, 2017, will go down in Girona's history as the day when, on the verge of turning 87 years old, the club achieved promotion to the Primera División. After three failed attempts in recent years, Girona had a team in the elite of Spanish football. A historic achievement. Pablo Machín's men, who had a five-point advantage over Getafe, the third-placed team, only needed a draw in the decisive match against Real Zaragoza to secure second place in the championship, which granted direct access to La Liga Santander. And so it was. A 0-0 draw that secured a historic promotion.

City Football Group and Girona Football Group

On August 23, 2017, the club was acquired equally by the City Football Group and the Girona Football Group, led by Pere Guardiola. The City Football Group owns Manchester City FC, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos, Shenzhen Peng City FC, Lommel SK, ESTAC, Palermo FC, Bahia, and the associated club Bolívar. CFG's ownership of Montevideo City Torque is currently under a blind trust in accordance with applicable CONMEBOL regulations.

One of the first measures to prepare for their debut in the top division was the provisional expansion of the stadium with two additional stands, one at the North Goal and another at the Preferent side, as well as upgrading the stadium's lighting. The first team began training at the PGA in Caldes de Malavella after the construction of two training fields with the exact dimensions of Montilivi; one with natural grass and the other with hybrid grass.

Girona FC finished their first season in LaLiga Santander in tenth position, with 51 points, surpassing teams like RCD Espanyol, Athletic Club, and Real Sociedad in the standings. In the last match of the first round, they achieved their first big win in the top division, 6-0 against UD Las Palmas, and the first hat-trick in the top category, scored by Michael Olunga on January 13, 2018. In the 2018-19 season, Girona reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time after drawing against Atlético de Madrid 1-1 at home and 3-3 away. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Real Madrid with a 7-3 aggregate score. In March, they won their first Catalonia Super Cup by defeating FC Barcelona 0-1 with a goal from Cristhian Stuani. The team was relegated after finishing 18th, with 37 points at the end of the regular season, returning to the Segunda División.

The next campaign, with Josep Gusó as president, was the beginning of the success story that led the club to the silver division of Spanish Football. Champions of the Third Division during the 2005-2006 season, they achieved promotion to Second B in the following campaign. And a year later, in the 2007-2008 season, followed the promotion to Second Division A. This was achieved with two eliminatories against Barakaldo, first, and later Ceuta, with a full Montilivi stadium!.

From the promotion to the present2008/09 season: After a commendable first round in which it seemed that salvation would be achieved with calmness, the Girona FC had a dangerous inertia in the second round, and only 5 days before the conclusion of The League, with the team 5 points behind, coach Raúl Agné was dismissed. Javi Salamero took over. The club achieved the permanence three games before the final.2009/10 season: Narcís Julià replaced Cristóbal Parralo as a new technician after an erratic start. Girona suffered a lot and was about to lose the category. A transformed penalty kick by Kiko Raton in minute 94 of the last day against Murcia helped the Girona to save the category.2010/11 Season: The Girona FC finished in 11th position of the classification, with 57 points, and did not know the defeat during 10 games.Season 2011/12: The club collected 700,000 euros for the sale of Ranko Despotovic to Urawa Red Diamonds Japanese. After a complicated league start, the threat of descent came back on Montilivi. Javier Salamero relieved Josu Uribe and the team regained their permanence two days before the final.2012/13 season: In order to achieve permanence, Rubi, until then second coach, took charge of the team. Girona started a magnificent start up and it was already on the second day in playoff positions. He finished the first round in second place, with 38 points. In the second round he maintained the dispute with AD Alcorcón, Villarreal CF, UD Las Palmas and UD Almería for the second place. In the ascent playoff they eliminated the Alcorcón but in the definitive eliminatory they lost against Almería that was promoted to the First.2013/14 season: Girona, which had just presented creditors' contests, entrusted the sports area to Ricardo Rodríguez, who would be on the bench until December 18, 2013. His position was occupied by Javi López. With him the situation of the team did not improve because the board, with Francesc Rebled as president, replacing Joaquim Boadas, opted for another change of coach with the arrival of Pablo Machín. The technician from Soria was the expected revulsion and managed to bring Girona to permanence on the final day, after 23 consecutive weeks of descent.2014-2015 season. The best season in the recent history of Girona FC. The team led by Pablo Machín made an extraordinary year of records: they finished with stratospheric 82 points, and were the visitors of the Adelante League with the best numbers. In spite of this, the direct promotion to the First Division had to be played in the last game, played in Montilivi, against Lugo. But the tie against the Galicians closed the doors of this direct promotion. Finally, in the playoff against Zaragoza in La Romareda, an excellent 0 to 3 was achieved. On the return to Montilivi, the Aragoneses overtook the scoring in a Girona that was still very emotionally affected by the result of the last day.In the 2015-2016 season, Girona once again played in the promotion to the First Division. In the first round and with the field factor in favor, they faced a double match against the fifth-placed team, Córdoba CF. Things did not start well for Pablo Machín, who scored two goals in 12 minutes in the first leg of the Archangel. A goal before the break left the tie open (2-1). Nervous afternoon on the way back to Montilivi, as the Andalusians started scoring. Two goals from Girona ended the match in a draw and an extra time had to be played, in which Girona benefited from scoring the third goal that gave them the lead in the final (3-1). The final was played on June 12, 2016. In the first leg at Sadar the victory was for the local team by 2 to 1. The return, three days later in Montilivi, was also favorable to Osasuna ( 0-1) which restrained the dream of ascension again.Historic Rise

June 4, 2017 will go down in Girona's history as the day when, at the age of 87, the club was promoted to the First Division. After three frustrated attempts in recent years, Girona had a team in the elite of Spanish football. A historical fact. Pablo Machín's men, who had a five-point lead over third-placed Getafe, had a draw in the decisive match against Real Zaragoza to secure second place in the league, which gave them direct access to the league. Santander League. And so it was. A draw (0-0) that was worth a historic promotion

City Football Group and Girona Football GroupOn August 23, 2017, the club was acquired in equal parts by the City Football Group and the Girona Football Group, by Pere Guardiola. City Football Group owns Manchester City FC, New York City FC, Melbourne City, Montevideo City Torque, Yokohama Marinos, Sichuan Jiuniu FC, Mumbai City FC, Lommel SK and Estac Troyes AC.

One of the first measures to face the premiere in the highest category was the temporary expansion of the stadium with two additional stands, one in Gol Nord and another in Preferente, in addition to renewing the lighting of the stage. The first team went on to train at the PGA in Caldes de Malavella after the construction of two training camps with the exact measurements of Montilivi; one of natural grass and the other of hybrid grass.

First stage in La Liga Santander

Girona FC finished its first season in LaLiga Santander in tenth position, with 51 points, beating teams like RCD Espanyol, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad in the standings. In the last game of the first round he got his first win in the First Division, 6-0 against UD Las Palmas and the first Hat-Trick in the top category, achieved by Michael Olunga on January 13, 2018.

In the 2018-19 season, Girona reached the Copa del Rey quarterfinals for the first time after drawing 1-1 at home and 3-3 away against Atlético de Madrid. In the quarterfinals it was eliminated by Real Madrid 7-3 on aggregate. In March he won his first Supercopa de Catalunya by beating FC Barcelona 0-1 with a goal from Cristhian Stuani. The equipment would lose the category when being 18º, with 37 points at the end of the regular season, returning to Second division.

Marcelo Claure

In August 2020, the Bolivian-American businessman Marcelo Claure bought a shareholding package of Pere Guardiola's Girona Football Group. With this transaction, the City Football Group became the main shareholder of the Club with 47% of the shares, Claure had 35% and Girona Football Group 16%. Claure is also the owner of Club Bolívar, the most important in his country.

Return to second

In the first season back to second, he finished in fifth position, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They managed to defeat Almería CF 1-0 at home and 1-2 away. However, they were eliminated by Elche CF with 0-0 in the first leg and losing 0-1 at home in the 96th minute.

In the 2020/21 season, the team once again entered the play-offs for promotion to the first division after finishing the regular season in fifth position. In the semi-finals they were paired again with Almería CF who won 0-2 away and drew 0-0 at home. Their fourth final was played against Rayo Vallecano, winning in Vallecas 1-2 and losing at home 0-2, which left the team one more season in the silver division.

Arrival of Míchel Sánchez

In the summer of 2021, Girona signed Míchel Sánchez as their head coach. From that day until today, Míchel has been instrumental in the club’s growth and development, leading some of the finest chapters in its history.

Second stage in La Liga Santander

On June 19, 2022, Girona returned to the first division (it was sixth in the Smartbank League) by eliminating CD Tenerife 0-0 (first leg) and 1-3 (return) in the promotion play-off final and 0-1 (first leg) and 0-2 (return) against SD Eibar in the semifinal of play-off.

Consolidation in La Liga (2022-23 and 2023-24)

In the 2022-23 season, Girona completed their return to the top tier with a very respectable performance: they finished in 10th place in La Liga with 49 points, establishing a solid foundation for growth in their new stage in the top division. Players such as Taty Castellanos, who scored 13 league goals (14 in total), played a prominent role in the team.

The 2023-24 season marked a significant step forward. For much of the campaign, Girona dreamed of European qualification: they reached the top four in the standings and experienced one of the best starts in the club’s history. A landmark moment came on December 10, 2023, when Girona defeated FC Barcelona in the league for the first time (4-2 away), taking the lead in the table with 41 points after only 16 matchdays.

Ultimately, this outstanding effort resulted in an unprecedented historical achievement: Girona qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time, after finishing 3rd in La Liga with 81 points.

European Debut and Recent Consolidation (2024-25 and Current Times)

With a Champions League spot secured, Girona made their European debut in the 2024-25 season. In their first match, they visited Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, losing narrowly (1-0). In another European match, Girona scored their first continental goal against Feyenoord, despite ultimately losing 3-2. The goal was scored by David López.

In La Liga, the season was not without challenges: the team had to fight hard to remain in the top division. However, on May 15, 2025, Girona secured their La Liga survival one matchday before the end, achieving their fourth consecutive season in the top flight, a historic milestone for the club.

Institutionally and structurally, significant progress has also been made. One example is the “Girona Football Academy by PUMA”, the club’s training facility located in Vilablareix. For the first time in Girona FC’s history, the club has its own training ground, a clear sign of its growth and consolidation.