Former Manchester United star Donny van de Beek suffered a major blow as Girona were relegated from LaLiga on Saturday, just one year after the club played in the Champions League.
Van de Beek, 29, endured a difficult four-year spell at Old Trafford after joining from Ajax for an initial £35million in 2020, playing just 62 times for the Red Devils.
He moved to Girona ahead of the 2024-25 season, with the LaLiga outfit preparing for their first ever European campaign.
However, less than two years later, the Catalan club, who are owned by The City Football Group, have been relegated from the Spanish top flight following a dramatic final day to return to the second tier for the first time since 2022.
In what was a chaotic relegation battle, seven teams could still go down heading into Saturday, with two unfortunate sides set to join already relegated Real Oviedo.
Girona began the day in 18th, two points adrift of their opponents Elche, who sat in 17th – and they were just three points behind Sevilla in 13th.
Girona have been relegated from LaLiga, a year after they played in the Champions League
Former Man United star Donny van de Beek played just twice this season due to injury
Alvaro Rodriguez put Elche ahead in the first half with a stunning strike, and although Arnau Martinez levelled early in the second half, Girona couldn’t find another goal and succumbed to their fate, with several players left in tears at full-time.
Girona also dropped down to 19th place as Mallorca beat Real Oviedo 3-0, although the Pirates were still relegated despite finishing level on points with Osasuna and Levante due to head-to-head record.
It caps a dramatic fall for Girona, whose chairman is Pere Guardiola, brother of Pep, following a similarly remarkable rise previous to that.
They only won promotion to LaLiga for the first time in their history in 2017, but suffered relegation two years later.
Girona were promoted again in 2022, though, and qualified for the Champions League in 2024 after coming third following a stunning campaign where they topped the league for a lengthy period.
That European campaign – which saw them knocked out in the League Phase after taking just three points from eight games – did impact their domestic form as they came 16th last season.
And the club were unable to recover from that slump this time out, floating around the relegation places throughout the campaign, although they kept faith with boss Michel, who was the man to get them promoted in 2022.
Girona’s disastrous season also comes despite the club possessing a star-studded squad.
Alongside Van de Beek, former Premier League stars Daley Blind, Bryan Gil and Paul Gazzaniga are among their ranks.
The LaLiga table ahead of the final day, with seven teams still at risk before the action began
Several Girona players, including Arnau Martinez (above), were left in tears at full-time
They also have Man City loanees Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri on the books, alongside Champions League stalwarts Axel Witsel, Thomas Lemar and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
However, Ter Stegen played just twice due to injury after joining in January, a fate that also befell Van de Beek after he suffered an Achilles rupture in September.
He did return to the matchday squad for the final two games of the campaign, but the Dutchman was an unused substitute on both occasions.
