The two (or three) essential items in Girona's survival kit

GIRONA"I've seen a lot of players come through Girona. A lot. Now, if we're talking about players with real commitment, the number drops quite a bit. Having them or not changes everything, everything. Especially when you have to stretch your skills. With them, things are always easier," explains Albert Mateos, who was in charge of the Real Madrid midfield and was tied to the veterans and the Genuine team, of which he is also the creator.

Mateos, who knows what it means to love a club, when he talks about commitment he refers to Cristian Portugués, PortuCristhian Stuani, and Juanpe Ramírez. The fans are clinging to the first two, especially to believe in their chances of staying up. The entire Montilivi area has spent days and days asking for their starting forward, until Leganés finally got its attention. It's clear they'll be back in the starting lineup, not only against Mallorca (Monday at 9 p.m., 3Cat) but from then until the end of the La Liga season. With a three-point margin over eighteenth place, the team has gone eleven games without a win. They need it more than ever.

"It's as if they were from home, because they feel Girona is the club of their lives. None of them were born here, but that has been an impediment to integration. They've put down roots in the city. In fact, Juanpe's children were born. For me, they've inherited the witnesses of the Elei A of the recent era," continues Mateos, who considers it a fundamental weapon, "especially now, when these are difficult times." "We are certain that they want to get out of this situation, because just as they are the happiest when everything is going well, when things don't work out they are the first to suffer and have a hard time. I have seen them shed tears for this crest. And quite a few," he says.

The former Girona leader elaborates on the involvement of Portu, Stuani and Juanpe within Girona society. "From my previous position, I often asked footballers to attend various events, whether they were club launches, trophy presentations, or social events, with the Genuine team, the Red Cross, or special education centers. And it's already clear who is willing to go and who isn't. They are approachable people. They mix with the fans without any problem. The result of this way of being is the identification of the fans with their figures, because they consider them one of their own.

They never disappear, not even from charity events

In fact, even Míchel is aware of what they mean to the club. "Portu and Stuani have soul," he expressed after the equalizer at Butarque, three days after verbalizing, following the defeat to Betis, that the team had lacked precisely that victory that the Uruguayan had engineered to trigger the 1-1 draw in stoppage time. "I want to tell the fans that together we will pull it out; we are committed. We must get the three points against Mallorca," Portu argued. "We are suffering, but we are proud and we will never give up." Stuani.

"As a fan, regarding the possibility of staying up, I am much calmer with them on the pitch, of course. I think they can do it, yes," says Mateos, a person who looks after the history of Girona and its protagonists. "I have no doubt that they too are part of the select group of great red-and-white footballers."