When Stuani had long hair and was known as 'Flaquito'

GironaSeveral events took place in 2005: Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage in the United States; London was attacked with terrorist bombings on the subway and a bus that left 52 dead and more than 600 injured; Pope John Paul II died, with Benedict XVI succeeding him; Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany; YouTube gained worldwide recognition; and same-sex marriage was legalized in Spain.

In Catalonia, Barça, which at that time only had one Champions League title, won La Liga with Rijkaard as manager and Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and a young Messi on the field. It was the era when Lleida, Nàstic, and Terrassa competed in the Segunda División. And Girona? That year they were relegated from Segunda B to Tercera División. The coach was Domènec Torrent, and one of the club's most illustrious players, Delfí Geli, the current president, was hanging up his boots. Some 10,500 kilometers from Montilivi and in a different time zone, the current all-time top scorer for Girona, Cristhian Stuani, didn't even know there was a club called Girona, much less imagine that he would end up leaving an indelible mark. It was November 5, 2005, and a few days ago he turned twenty. The Uruguayan commemorated it with a post on social media: "I was lucky enough to be part of that great Danubio team, surrounded by incredible players and teammates." "The luck was ours," the club replied. That day, Girona won 3-1 at the Miniestadi against Barça C. The Barça striker was a certain Pedrito.

Having come through the ranks at Atenas de Tala, his hometown club, Stuani joined Danubio's youth academy, where he debuted for the first team while still a minor, won a league title, and began his journey to becoming the prolific goalscorer he is today. The coach who gave him his first professional opportunity was Gerardo Pelusso, who contacted him last season, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of his La Liga debut. It was for his Champions League debut, a feat Stuani had never imagined achieving while at Girona. "Twenty years later, you're still fulfilling dreams and breaking records. Congratulations, skinny guy." In Uruguay, Stuani is known by many nicknames. One is "Skinny Guy." Another is "Pilot." He's also known as the Matador of Tala.

Two decades have passed since the first goal, a header in a Peñarol-Danubio match that had a huge impact on the country. Peñarol and Nacional are the dominant forces in the league, what Barcelona and Real Madrid would be in Uruguay. Danubio, however, is a small club and not used to winning titles. The match was played at the Estadio Centenario, where the Uruguayan national team usually plays its matches. In the 7th minute, Peñarol was leading 2-0. Nothing suggested that Stuani and company had any chance. "It's historic, historic. This will be appreciated with the passage of time," explained Pelusso, his heart racing. His Danubio not only turned the result around, but also achieved the biggest defeat Peñarol has ever suffered in an official match. It ended 2-7, with Stuani scoring the third goal. The home fans, outraged, chanted between goals, "Everyone should leave, not a single one should stay." The image of the celebration still hangs in Pelusso's office, where he works for the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), gives lectures, and occasionally smiles when someone mentions the match. In fact, Peñarol fans often tease him about a 5-0 defeat he suffered when he was the coach of Nacional, their biggest rival. "The grief lasted for months; I spent many days locked up at home. I never watched the match. Whenever an image appeared on television, I changed the channel. But if they attack me about that result, I tell them that we scored seven against them with Danubio," he admitted, years later. Doubt for match 300

Stuani, with his long hair and a headband to protect his vision, opened a scoring account that, twenty years later, has grown to 285 goals, 146 of which have been scored in a Girona shirt, where he remains unmatched. This Sunday, in the match against Real Madrid (9 pm, Movistar LaLiga), he was scheduled to celebrate his 300th appearance in the red and white stripes, but he is doubtful due to discomfort in his calf muscle. Only four players have surpassed him in this regard. The Uruguayan has been instrumental in some of Girona's most memorable victories against Real Madrid and, now approaching 40, he remains a sure bet. Just as he was 20 years ago. Just as he always will be.