Everyone’s jealous and no-one understands - Rise of Spain’s latest power and misunderstood Man City role

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The Champions League and romanticism have arguably never been further apart. Money and matches have coloured the competition with more demand for Europe’s elite to face-off and the chances of fairytales are swallowed up by modern football.

Yet in Spain, a club who less than a decade ago were playing in front of sub 5,000 crowds are mixing it with continental giants and preparing to face a Liverpool side hoping to conquer at home and abroad.

Yet Girona’s rise provokes debate and argument, the traditional versus the modern. The multi club taking on the status quo. When you can lean on Manchester City, even if that relationship is perhaps overplayed, there will always be accusations of falsehood and favouritism.

Of Girona making strides because of what happens in Manchester rather than Catalonia. Yet that is not fair, or accurate. READ MORE: Man City step closer to the unknown with Premier League charges update READ MORE: Premier League offers Man City help amid Champions League trouble “It has helped transform the club for the better,” says Mark Sochon, editor of laligaexpert.com, speaking to the Manchester Evening News. “Girona have never had a big fanbase and they tended to get crowds of around 5,000 before their first ever promotion to the top flight in 2017.