Girona's high-profile signings you've forgotten

GironaIt was early 2009 when a seventeen-year-old striker appeared in the old Montilivi press room, demolished years before, accompanied by a translator. His name was Hiroshi Ibusuki, and he was a promising young player for Girona who went viral without the need for social media, which was still in its infancy. The club's official website received a flood of Japanese visitors who crashed the internet asking what on earth this club was, a club then experiencing its first season in the Second Division after fifty years.

When the presentation ended, Girona organized a sightseeing tour for him, and Hiroshi and his parents, a Girona vice-president and an art historian, visited the city's most emblematic landmarks. As tradition dictates, he kissed the lioness's backside. But he only played six matches and didn't score a single goal. The Japanese player officially kicked off Girona's list of high-profile signings in professional football, a list now continued with Ter Stegen.

A month after Hiroshi, Montilivi was abuzz with the arrival of Gerard López. "This guy played in a Champions League final, huh?" was a common refrain in the corridors. The current Catalan national team coach's time at Girona wasn't entirely smooth sailing, but any fan will remember the brace (with a comeback) he scored in Castellón and the subsequent goal against Nàstic, which practically secured their survival. At Castalia, he made his mark in the blink of an eye: he came on in the 58th minute, equalized in the 62nd, and scored the winning goal in the 64th. He played 32 matches until 2011, when he left after terminating the final year of his contract, "marginalized by Raül Agné" for years.

Fast forward to the following summer, when the Girona goal was officially defended by Albert Jorquera, who had just won the treble with Pep Guardiola. That was also a memorable moment. The man from Bescanó, a certified gemologist who works in the family's jewelry business in Girona, was one of the protagonists of the Girona-Murcia match with the famous penalty by Kiko Ratón, whose goalkeeping maneuver remains a mystery, saving them from relegation. "It was a big change because Girona's situation wasn't like it is now. It was a change of life, home, salary, league... everything. I suffered during those years and now I appreciate it a lot, but they also brought me back close to home," he explained in an interview with ARA. That was Jorquera's last match; he retired at 30.

Jorge Messi's visit

But one of the most bizarre cases is that of the Argentinian Emanuel Adrián Biancucchi. You might recognize him if we add his second surname: Cuccitini. Still not? Well, he was Leo Messi's cousin. In fact, at Montilivi, he was known as Messi's cousin. He never made his debut in an official match because his paperwork was never in order, but he did play a couple of friendlies, in Peralada and L'Escala, where he showed "some promising signs," according to reports from that time.

His signing in 2011 sparked an unprecedented media campaign for Girona, who suddenly found themselves with everyone interested in a club that had signed a player linked to Messi. The masterminds behind the deal were Josep Delgado, then the club's owner, and Jorge Messi, Biancucchi's agent and Leo Messi's father. Jorge Messi even went to Montilivi to see the presentation of his nephew, whom Girona signed for €30,000. He later played in Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. Other Girona signings that made an impact include the experimental players Mohammed El Yaagoubi, David García, Moisés Hurtado, and Ferran Corominas; Athletic Club goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz, the first signing after their promotion to La Liga; Seydou Doumbia, an Ivorian striker who generated high expectations but was criticized for his poor performance; the Catalan Jonathan Soriano, who also failed to live up to expectations; and, more recently, notable names like the Dutchmen Daley Blind and Van de Beek, and the Brazilian Arthur Melo, formerly of Barcelona. Some turned out well, and others not so much. We'll see how Ter Stegen fares; he drew around 500 fans to his presentation at Montilivi and could start this Monday against Getafe at the stadium (9 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).