"He's top-quality meat": the teenager who's a hit at Girona

GironaFrom misfortunes, opportunities also arise. The relegation to Segunda has shaken up the Girona squad: the best players are leaving and the club has to face a structural renovation with scarce room for maneuver, as many operations remain open. Faced with a shortage in the central axis, Quique Álvarez bet on a raw diamond during the summer, Holmes Junior. The bet could not have gone better: a starter in the first two matchdays, on the way to being one in the third this Saturday against leaders Las Palmas (9:30 p.m., LaLigaTV Hypermotion) and an urgent renewal until 2029 to ward off suitors.

The story of the Reus-born player is curious. Trained at Fundació Reus and with a past in the youth academies of Espanyol and Madrid, he signed for Nàstic in 2024 because he didn't adapt to Valdebebas. “I wanted to go home, but it was a fleeting moment. He came to play for the U16 A team and when pre-season ended, we told him that if he continued at the club the following year, we would promote him to the U18 Honor Division. Just by seeing him play, I felt he would fly quickly,” explains Jordi Guillén, the coordinator of the youth football of the Tarragona team and responsible for his signing. That season he was an undisputed starter in the U16s and ended up participating in the U18 Preferent B team.

“The impact he has is no surprise. I still have the image etched in my mind of seeing him celebrate from the ground that he had won a defensive duel. Also, I remember he scored about eight goals from set pieces, so he was already showing great aerial play,” continues Guillén, who highlights that, “considering his age, he was very mature footballistically”. “Both he and his family were super humble and grateful. They are low-profile people who get along with everyone. Far from being arrogant because he came from Madrid, he had no hint of arrogance. He was very focused and very well accompanied,” he adds. Playing for Nàstic, Junior was called up to the Spanish U16 team and was the champion of Spain in regions with the Catalan team. “We had never had a player of our own with Spain. There he played as a defensive midfielder. With the ball at his feet, he is very calm.” In 2026, already at Girona, he played in the U17 European Championship in Estonia.

They confuse it with 'Fantasy'

In Montilivi, his name is spoken from mouth to mouth, and last year he was part of three different teams: the B youth team, the A youth team, and the reserve team. “It’s complicated to see similar performance in kids his age. He has earned his starting position through hard work, and I am delighted,” stated Quique Álvarez, the red-and-white coach who gave him his debut in friendlies when he was still 16 years old. He is one of the youngest footballers in the club's history to debut with the first team. While blowing out his candles and turning 17, he appeared in Fantasy for the first time, and it wouldn't be strange to find him in the next FIFA as a young prospect. In the official applications, however, he was mistaken for Juan Arango, the son of the legendary former Mallorca player, who also plays for Girona.

“I would be cautious from now on, because he needs minutes. If he is to have real prominence, he should stay with the first team and play. If not, he should continue his development with the reserve team. What cannot happen is him being on the bench continuously. And knowing him, if he has to drop down to the Segunda RFEF to compete, he will play just as he would if he plays with the seniors. The kid won't cause problems or get demotivated,” says Guillén, who knows him well enough to highlight his personal character and competitive hunger. “He’s first division material, yes. And transfer material; if Girona doesn’t get promoted, they won’t keep him for long. It’s impossible to retain certain talent, and Junior has it. When he plays 30 games with the first team, the impact will double.”

The young center-back is not the only footballer trained at Nàstic who shines on his own: the top exponent of the Tarragona academy is Jan Virgili, signed this summer by Bruges, in an operation that has brought in a significant amount of money. The last to leave has been Enric Pujol, signed by Villarreal. The list also includes Marcos Fernández, a forward who debuted in La Liga with Espanyol on the same day Junior made his professional football debut. It was a great Sunday in Tarragona. Guillén warns that there will be more: “Now in the first team we have Oriol Subirats and Guillem Barrés. We have done a great job, and I am convinced that in the next five years, other talents we are refining will emerge into the elite. In fact, they have been snatching our footballers for a long time now. We hope to get promoted to the Second Division, and it will be easier for us to keep them,” he adds.