Nobody expected it, but after only one year in the United States, Jonatan Giráldez will return to Europe. He will do so to compete directly with FC Barcelona, becoming the new coach of Olympique de Lyon. Michelle Kang, owner of Kynisca Sports, the group that controls Lyon and Washington Spirit (where Giráldez currently works), has made this decision after a disastrous season.
Besides Kang, another familiar face from Women's Barça is behind this operation: Markel Zubizarreta. In his case, the sporting director left his position at the blaugrana club to join the Spanish Football Federation, where he lasted only a few months. After his departure, he set out as the person in charge of shaping the teams of the Kynisca Sports group, with the financial backing of billionaire Michelle Kang.
Catalunya Ràdio has discovered that, right now, Zubizarreta is shaping the operation for Jonatan Giráldez to return to Europe. The Galician is currently living with his family in the United States, and he left under the proclamation that he didn't want to compete with his beloved FC Barcelona. One year later, he's set to return and will do so by leading the great rival of recent years in Europe: Olympique de Lyon.
Nobody expected it in Barça's locker room
The news has exploded in Barça's locker room, as no player expected Jonatan Giráldez to return to Europe so quickly. There were some rumors that seemed to point to Olympique de Lyon in the future, but nobody believed it would be this soon. After losing the Champions League final against Arsenal, there's a desire for revenge and Giráldez's return is seen positively to further increase competitiveness in Europe.
Although Jonatan Giráldez is considered the best coach in the world, nobody is afraid of his signing for Olympique de Lyon. Voices in the locker room point out that "it's something that was going to happen sooner or later," especially when he decided to go to the United States to work for the millionaire Kang.
He won't be the only one with a Barça past heading to Olympique de Lyon. It's also expected that a culer footballer who was under his orders until a year ago will join him on this new adventure: Ingrid Engen. The Norwegian is set to move to France after a difficult year for her, coinciding with the end of her contract and her desire to regain a more important role.
Thus, Jonatan Giráldez returns to Europe only one year after leaving Barça. He couldn't have chosen a more challenging destination for the culer locker room: Olympique de Lyon.