Girona, Catalonia, Girona FC have confirmed that goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martín will leave the club on 30 June, ending a seven-season spell at Montilivi. His contract will not be renewed.
The 38-year-old missed most of the most recent season after suffering a serious left knee injury in late August, and he is still recovering. Even so, he remained an important figure in the club’s recent rise under manager Míchel Sánchez.
Martín’s time at Girona included key moments in the club’s push for promotion, including a decisive save in the final match against Burgos that secured a place in the play-offs, and a strong display in the semi-final second leg against Eibar. He joined Girona in summer 2019 on a free transfer from Lugo, after the club’s first relegation to the Segunda División.
He became the starting goalkeeper under Juan Carlos Unzué, then later lost and regained the shirt under Pep Lluís Martí and Francisco Rodríguez. During the 2019-20 season, he started the first 21 league matches, before being replaced by Asier Riesgo. The following season, he returned to the side and played every remaining match after a poor start to the campaign.
Under Míchel, Martín was again a regular starter for more than a year. He played in the manager’s first match against Amorebieta and was part of the promotion run, then started Girona’s first La Liga matches of that spell. Paulo Gazzaniga later took over as first choice in October, after a run of poor results and individual errors.
In later seasons, Martín’s appearances were more limited, with most of his minutes coming in the Copa del Rey and the Copa Catalunya. He also helped Girona win the Copa Catalunya on penalties last summer. Girona now have three goalkeepers under contract, Paulo Gazzaniga, Krapyvtsov and Fuidias, who is returning from loan at Nàstic, while Rubén Blanco and Ter Stegen also have deals ending. The new manager will decide the next steps in goal.