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This has been a season to forget for Girona. On Saturday, the Catalan outfit suffered the heartbreak of relegation from La Liga. A 1-1 home draw against relegation rivals Elche was not enough to keep them in the Spanish top flight, as they finished the campaign in 19th place.
Girona comes just two seasons after finishing in third place in La Liga and playing Champions League football. However, there were signs of decline last season, as the Blanquivermells finished 16th place in the table.
A squad through of high-profile players
Girona’s relegation was even more surprising because their squad is full of high-profile players, including Thomas Lemar, Daley Blind, Donny van der Beek, and, arguably most notably, former Barcelona first-choice Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Ter Stegen joined the Blaugrana’s Catalan rivals on loan in the January transfer window after falling out of favour at the Spanish giants. Due to injury, Ter Stegen made only two La Liga appearances for the club, which could have been a factor in the team’s demise during the end-of-season run-in.
Marc-André ter Stegen technically won LaLiga with Barcelona and was relegated with Girona in the same season 😳📊
ter Stegen joined Girona on loan in January leaving Barcelona to go on to win the league while his loaned club get relegated to LaLiga 2 😬 pic.twitter.com/UQJr6LzDmD
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) May 24, 2026
However, the German international made a bit of unwanted history with Girona, becoming the first player ever to win La Liga and be relegated in the same season.
Work to be done in the summer
Girona will have work to do in reshaping their squad, as relegation will bring a mass exodus this summer. Loan stars such as Ter-Stegen, as well as Manchester City loanees Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri, will return to their parent clubs.
The likes of Lemar, Arnau Martinez, Bryan Gil and Fran Beltran have already been linked with moves away from the Catalan club.
After reaching such heights as playing Champions League football, second-tier football next season could be a culture shock.
However, Girona have spent much of their existence outside of La Liga, with their last stint in the Segunda as recent as the 2021/22 season. Everybody connected with the club will be hoping for an immediate return to the Spanish top flight.