KOCHI:Girona FC are the biggest among the three clubs at the offering and will become the first side from La Liga to play in India. For a club that only won the promotion to Spain’s top division for the first time in their 87-year history last season, Girona did pretty well in 2017-18 finishing 10th. Their biggest bragging right was a 2-1 upset of the mighty Real Madrid managed by Zinedine Zidane in October. To understand the enormity of the feat, you just had to look at the Real’s squad which was worth £657 million while the Catalonian club lined up with a roster worth only £37 million. Girona will travel to Kerala with their new head coach Eusebio Sacristan who was appointed last month. They will then head back to Spain to face Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in another friendly at their home Estadi Montilivi on August 4. The 2018-19 La Liga is scheduled to begin on August 18.
THE STARS FROM CATALONIA
Cristhian Stuani
The 31-year-old striker is perhaps the most recognisable name in the Girona line-up. The Uruguayan played for Espanyol and Middlesbrough and was a key member for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup. He came on as a substitute in Uruguay’s 2-1 win over Portugal in the Round of 16 and started in place of injured Edinson Cavani in their quarterfinal defeat to eventual finalists France. Stuani scored 21 goals in La Liga last season -- a figure bettered only by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Lago Aspas.
Johan Mojica
The left-back started in all four matches of the 2018 World Cup for Colombia who was knocked out in the Round of 16 by England via penalty shootouts. Hailing from Cali, Mojica started his career at Colombian club Academia FC and moved to Spain’s Rayo Vallecano in 2013. He helped Girona win promotion to the Spanish top division and also starred for the team in their first season in La Liga.
Marc Muniesa
The Barcelona youth product became a household name with a four-year stint at Stoke City. The 26-year-old defender returned to his home city of Catalonia in 2017 on a loan to Girona and signed permanently for them last month. Muniesa represented Spain from U-16 to U-21 levels and won the 2013 European U-21 championship.
Bernardo Espinosa
Another Colombian in the Girona squad, Bernardo was among the probables for Russia 2018, but failed to make the final cut. The 28-year-old is a centre-back who started his career at Sevilla and moved to Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon and Girona via a sojourn to England’s Middlesbrough during 2016-17.
Yassine Bounou
The 27-year-old was the second-choice goalkeeper for Morocco at the World Cup, but did not make an appearance for the African nation. He started his career for Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca before making a move to Atletico Madrid B. Born in Montreal, Bounou was eligible to represent Canada or Morocco at the international level but picked the latter for whom he has won 11 caps.