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Not the current champion Barcelona. Not Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid. Neither are perennial title contenders Atletico Madrid.
The team sitting two points clear at the top of La Liga, with 10 wins from their first 12 games, is tiny Girona, playing just its fourth season in Spanish football’s elite and owning the league’s smallest stadium .
Girona’s success story begins 1,000 miles to the north, in Manchester.
In 2017, Girona was one of the first clubs to become part of the Manchester City Football Group (CFG) global network. Since then, they have benefited from City’s expertise and organizational structure.
Girona also benefit from City’s players, receiving a steady stream of young talent deemed not good enough for Pep Guardiola’s plans.
For example, striker Taty Castellanos scored 14 goals for Girona last season on loan from New York City FC, another CFG club, before being sold to Lazio for a reported €20 million.
Girona’s current squad contains a plethora of players with links to City.
Explosive 19-year-old Brazilian winger Savio, who has three goals and four assists so far this season and looks set for a bright future, is on loan from CFG Troyes.
Yan Couto, 21, has been loaned directly from City. Aggressive midfielder Yangel Herrera, who has scored four goals and ranks second in La Liga for fouls conceded, joined from City after spending last season on loan.
