Everything has an end, in life. Two of the most important figures in Girona's history, protagonists of the current sporting boom it is experiencing, in which it has strung together four consecutive seasons in the First Division and has real arguments to secure a fifth, have contracts ending in June and their continuity at Montilivi is not clear. Míchel Sánchez and Cristhian Stuani have ninety days to decide their future.

At 20 years old, Vitor Reis (São José dos Campos, Brazil, 2006) has already experienced more than most people will in a lifetime. "I signed for Palmeiras when I was 10, at 15 I left my parents' house to live in a residence with some of my teammates, and at 16 I became completely independent and moved into my own apartment." The story continues with his debut in the Brasileirão at 18 and a move to a different continent at 19, after Manchester City noticed him and invested nearly 40 million euros. And there's more: six months ago, just before being loaned to Montilivi, also at 19, he got married. "It's a blessing to have my wife by my side. I'm convinced that if it weren't for her, I wouldn't feel so good in Girona." Recently, the couple added a dog to their family.

Watching Girona is quite entertaining. Their matches lack a set script: anything can happen. In Seville, in the match that had to be postponed yesterday due to the storm MartenThey salvaged a 1-1 draw that left a bitter taste, as they had victory within their grasp several times. They found themselves leading 1-0 in stoppage time, having protected the result like a precious treasure and squandering numerous chances. They were still winning, however, until a slip by Echeverri in the 92nd minute, when he had the ball under control and only needed to clear it, allowed Kike Salas to score a stunning goal. The frustration gave way to hope with a penalty in the 98th minute. Míchel quickly brought on Stuani, who was on the bench, but the Uruguayan was denied by Vlachodimos, the true hero of the match.

Girona's season will be a long one. Just when it seemed the team was rekindling its competitive spirit, this week served as a stark reminder of its fragility: on Wednesday, they were humiliated and eliminated from the Copa del Rey by a Primera RFEF side like Ourense, and today they failed to recover against Elche, where they were tortured and humiliated, suffering another unfortunate defeat (3-0). Míchel's men, for yet another matchday – their fourteenth already – will remain in the relegation zone.

When he arrived at Girona, his daughter didn't yet have a driver's license because she was underage. Now she's 27. "The evolution of my personal life has gone hand in hand with that of the club, yes. Everything has changed a lot," acknowledges Santi Pou (Vic, 1966), a member of the sporting department, assistant to Quique Cárcel; part of the first team's coaching staff, with Míchel Sánchez; and for a decade, head of methodology for the Girona youth academy. "It's been many hours of hard work, but now we enjoy stability and prosperity. My family has had no choice but to understand, because ten continuous years working at Girona means being with the professionals in the morning and with the kids in the afternoon. But I've done it, and I continue to do it, with passion," he admits.

It was when they were in dire straits that Girona showed their desire to stay in La Liga, a will that until now had only been glimpsed in dribs and drabs. This is how it goes; we often don't get our act together until necessity demands it. Girona were fighting for their lives, and they defeated Alavés (1-0) to temporarily climb out of the relegation zone. Míchel's men, just as the manager wanted, suffered, fought, and ran together. Perhaps not in that order or in the same amounts, but they did it. Luck also appeared at the ideal moments, contributing to a victory that puts a pause on the debate surrounding the manager's position. For now, Míchel is untouchable.

"I was really embarrassed, to be honest; but luckily, I wasn't the only one. It happened to all of us. We were there, standing in a room, dressed in Girona's training gear, and an instructor was forcing us to do really strange movements. We looked at each other, completely confused. I'd never been shocked before." The speaker is Jose Martínez. He remembers that unexpected session proposed by Javier Salamero, the coach and sporting director, depending on the season. To imagine what the players felt at that moment, it's necessary to understand the context. In 2012, the team was second to last in the Second Division, six points from safety after winning only four out of 27 matches; and the board had already sacked two coaches, Raül Agné and Josu Uribe. But instead of going to Montilivi every day, Salamero, called in as an emergency replacement, thought it would be better not to go. "It's shocking to have your routine disrupted like that. Because when everything's going wrong, the first thing they usually tell you is that you have to train more. Well, on Thursdays or Fridays we did other things. And it was a success, because we'd laugh our heads off and end up closer than when we started the day, and because we hadn't even started the day badly. This formula doesn't exist. In fact, the first thing we did was beat Deportivo, who were the runaway league leaders and would end up getting promoted." Such is football; that Girona team under Salamero was a success: in 12 matches, they racked up 7 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss. Players like Jose, Migue, Dorca, Coro, Jandro, and David García, who didn't know how to pose for the Zumba instructor, became unstoppable on the pitch.

The City Football Group, Pere Guardiola, and Marcelo Claure, who rule Girona, have changed the club's history. And they've changed it for the better. They've made football a topic of conversation and have demonstrated their seriousness because, in bad times, they not only didn't abandon ship like rats do, but they actually doubled their bets, making capital increases that kept the ball rolling. When you take the full picture, this is an important chapter that can't be ignored, because if Girona returned to the First Division after relegation and won the lottery with the Champions League year, it's thanks to events like those.

"We need to meet. It's urgent." This email, sent internally among some Girona staff last week, set Montilivi off. And it's no wonder, considering the first team's situation in La Liga, bottom of the table and unable to win in any of its first seven matchdays. They've only scraped together three draws, the last two in a row. The first consequence is that Míchel's future is unclear. In fact, it hasn't been for days. The performance against Athletic and Espanyol has given him some breathing room, but a setback this Saturday against Valencia (4:15 p.m., DAZN) could leave him without a job. Hence the haste of the email.

Manolo González has never been dismissed. They were close to it at the Ebro in 2018, but the sporting director Ander Garitano –who recommended Garagarza for Espanyol B– defended him to the Aragonese club's owner. His first dismissal also came close nine months ago, on November 23, 2024, with the blue and whites in the relegation zone and after their heaviest defeat in La Liga, the 4-1 at Montilivi: in the 30th minute, with possession exceeding 90%, Girona was already winning 4-0 in the Second Division, a fact now being recalled by the Pericos fans on social media, watching Míchel's team's decline.

No one dares to predict an expiration date for Míchel Sánchez. When his future is being considered, everyone treads cautiously. Logically, considering the respect and gratitude for the person who ensured Girona was no longer just another team. With him at the helm, the Girona team has made history. But football has no memory, and the Vallecas-born coach is experiencing his most critical moment in the dugout. He has overcome bad times before, but none were as serious as this one. Míchel needs to start adding points if he doesn't want to see his job truly in jeopardy.

When they look in the mirror, Girona grimaces. They recognize few adjectives that everyone referred to not long ago, when they were loved with absolute consensus. The game flowed, the signings were fitting, no one had exaggerated expectations. And they shattered logic. Now, all this has backfired. The squad has been dismantled, and unlike when resources were scarce, they are struggling to build with deep pockets. As a result, they are suffering. "We are no longer the Girona of two years ago; that dream is over," recalled Míchel, who is trying to get his bearings as he returns to reality.

In September 2023, Girona touched the sky in Vila-real. Two goals from Dovbyk and Eric Garcia gave them their first-ever lead in the First Division. Míchel Sánchez was floating, the team was enjoying themselves, and the club appeared in every corner of the planet, marveling at the play of a team that the Madrid native had rescued from the Second Division to lead them to the Champions League. Almost two years later, the same scene was played. witness to a fall that will have consequences. The Girona side, with their team completely destroyed, their stars transferred, and their new arrivals failing to adapt, failed to compete (5-0) and are currently at the bottom of the league. "This is my worst moment as Girona's manager," said Míchel, who, after a few weeks of being unrecognizable in his statements, abandoned his sideline behavior, grabbed his machine gun, and started firing at the players and the club.

Everyone looked to the sky, worried about the heat in Montilivi, and everyone stopped looking at the pitch, where the real problem lay for a Girona side that started the season in a shaky fashion, thrashed without even having time to say a word. Girona, with all their reinforcements split between the bench and the presidential box, resigned in a first half marred by the errors of goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who gave away a goal and was sent off for a penalty. With their pockets empty of arguments and no shots on goal, Rayo Vallecano's 0-3 victory proved short-lived. The pride of the only Girona player, Joel Roca, allowed them to close the gap (1-3), but if no important signings arrive, it will be hard to recover their joy.

La Liga kicks off this Friday with Girona-Rayo Vallecano at Montilivi (7 p.m., Movistar LaLiga). Míchel's team heads into the season with many challenges ahead and a host of enigmas to resolve, both sportingly and socially. Why haven't they invested a single euro in signings? How many players are still waiting to arrive? And what about the departures? Why hasn't the major sale they need yet taken place? Will the team be able to compete consistently, unlike last year? And is anything known about the new stadium project? These are unanswered questions with just a few hours left until the ball rolls again in official competition and the transfer window closing in just over two weeks.

Two months after the end of the La Liga season, Girona has yet to make any signings and is, along with Real Sociedad, one of the two teams that hasn't reinforced its squad this summer. Opinions on the subject are starting to decline: from the eight to twelve names on average announced by sporting director Quique Cárcel on June 3rd, Míchel Sánchez said immediately after the final that crowned him champion of Catalonia: "We must think about the club's finances." A shocking statement that hides some problems.

Christian Portuguese, Portu, alongside Cristhian Stuani, has been the hero of Girona's permanence in the First Division. The Murcian has shaken up the Atlético attack in recent weeks: in Leganés he provided an assist and earned a red card, against Mallorca he created the opportunity for the goal, in Valladolid he made a – disallowed – goal before the Uruguayan put the icing on the cake in a heart-stopping final stretch, which the team, Sebastià – having done his homework – scored more than a year after the last time. However, the fates of Portu and Girona could have been very different.

It was barely 10:30 a.m. when Míchel appeared at Girona's training grounds in Vilablareix. He'd been there for a while, working in his office, already fully discharged. Every second counts in this final stretch of the season. After Thursday's scare, when he was rushed to the hospital with a "deep vein thrombosis in his left leg," the coach is preparing for Tuesday's final in Valladolid (7 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).

Girona manager Míchel Sánchez has been hospitalized due to a health issue and is under medical observation as a precaution, the Catalan club announced in a statement on Friday.

You don't have to be a great expert to know that if Girona wants to have a chance of staying in the First Division, it must play the remaining six finals with players who feel the shirt is their own. At this point, it's already been proven that none of the signings will be the solution and that the squad planning was correct. There's no need to insist further. For the match in Leganés, we must include Portu, Stuani, and nine others. Players who guarantee emotion and performance, because you only have to see what they generate every time they step onto the pitch. They inspire hope. With them, you can dream.