After a dominant 4-2 win against Barcelona on Sunday, Girona regained first place in LaLiga and cemented their position as championship contenders. As Barcelona slipped further behind in the championship race, Girona snatched three points with another masterpiece in exciting play and good defense.

The White and Reds are some of Europe’s best soccer teams, and they are having a monster season. Among league leaders with 16 games played, they currently hold the fourth-best record with 41 points.

Girona, who have been playing in LaLiga for two seasons in a row now, have blown everyone away. They are in complete control of their fate in the UEFA Champions League and championship contests.

Girona have City Group to thank

They were competing in the fourth division of Spain sixteen years ago. In the year 2000, they competed in the fifth tier of a regional league. That league only featured teams in the province of Catalonia. Only a short time ago, this team played in front of sparse crowds of 200 at home games.

There is a certain allure to Girona’s miraculous performance this season. They are not relying on high-priced additions and have had just a $57 million spending limit. The club lost midfield superstar Oriol Romeu to Barça before the season started. Girona’s net spending in the summer was a light $5.5 million.

Given that Michel has also faced adversity, the coach’s accomplishment is even more astounding. He went through a series of disappointing spells at Rayo and Huesca, during which he was promoted and then let go. But his unwavering commitment to his ideas has now paid off.

It is the City Football Group that Girona owes for its exploits. Michel’s side is pulling off miracles, with the help of the City Football Group. Manchester City and Girona are both owned by the City Football Group, a wholly owned company that receives the majority of its funding from the Middle East.

Owner Sheikh Mansour and the organization are solely responsible for Manchester City‘s recent success. As a result, Girona may be seen as a continuation of the English club’s power and wealth. The rewards are not only for the super-rich, either.

What Girona constructed takes heavy influence from Barcelona’s character. Former La Masia player Geli now serves as president of Girona. Another La Masia alum, Quique Carcel, is their director of sports. What is more, Pep Guardiola‘s brother Pere is one of the co-owners.

Why would Girona earn less prize money even if it wins LaLiga?

The injuries that Real Madrid have suffered have allowed Girona to climb to such a position that they have a legitimate shot at winning LaLiga at season’s end. Even if Los Blancos are arguably the best Spanish club at the moment, the Catalans still have a shot of pulling off an incredible upset if they avoid making any mistakes.

Even if Girona does win LaLiga and finish three positions ahead of Barcelona, the club will still get around half the prize money of its Catalan rivals. LaLiga’s revamped system for distributing revenues is to blame for this.

The process has been outlined by an X user. He elaborates by saying that “social establishment”, also known as brand power accounts for 25 percent of income. Furthermore, the ratio is unrestricted.

Compared to Tebas’ collective agreement from 2015, this is a significant improvement. Before then, Girona would have received almost five times as much as Barcelona. At the time, everything was individual. Now, shares of overall revenue split 50/50 and 25% depending on the table finish under the new arrangement.

To put that in perspective, the Premier League has a cap of 1.8 times the difference between the top and worst teams’ salaries. There is no maximum in LaLiga. For example, Atletico Madrid, in third position, earns three times as much as the club in tenth place.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.