Middlesbrough let him leave after relegation - he's still scoring at 39

Cristian Stuani signed for Girona from Middlesbrough in 2017 and almost 10 years later and he is still going strong

Middlesbrough missed out on promotion to the Premier League in 2025/26 after losing in the play-off final to Hull City.

The Teesside outfit were hoping to replicate the same success they enjoyed 10 years previously under Aitor Karanka.

The Spaniard was in charge as Boro finished second in the Championship table, earning automatic promotion due to their superior goal difference after winning the same number of points as third place Brighton.

It ended an eight-year wait for top flight football at the Riverside, but it proved to be a single-season journey as they came 19th in the table the following campaign.

Cristian Stuani’s Middlesbrough stint

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One player that proved important in Boro’s rise back to the Premier League was Cristhian Stuani, who joined the club in the 2015 summer window.

The Uruguayan signed from Espanyol, and he contributed seven goals and one assist from 36 appearances in the Championship.

And it was actually his third goal in the 3-0 win over Brighton on 19 December that actually made the difference in the promotion battle, as a 2-0 win instead, and all else being the same, would’ve given the Seagulls second place.

However, Stuani was unable to make much of an impact in the top flight, with his only notable moment coming in his first appearance in the division, as he scored twice in a 2-1 win over local rivals Sunderland.

Cristian Stuani’s Middlesbrough exit

Middlesbrough slumped to 19th in the Premier League table, earning just 28 points and coming 12 adrift of safety.

This led to Stuani’s exit from the club, with the now 39-year-old making his return to Spanish football with a move to Girona.

The forward spent two seasons at the Riverside, scoring a total of 11 league goals, and his role in helping the team achieve promotion won’t be forgotten too soon.

However, his contribution to their relegation back to the Championship means he won’t be going down in club legend either.

Girona success for Cristhian Stuani

Stuani made the move to Girona in 2017, and immediately cemented himself as a top star in La Liga.

He scored a remarkable 21 goals in the Spanish top flight in his first season with the club, with the team finishing 10th in the table.

And he scored another 19 times in 2018/19, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the side from suffering relegation to the Segunda Division.

But Middlesbrough fans still would’ve been quite shocked to see him find the back of the net so consistently after scoring just four times for them in the Premier League.

Cristhian Stuani still has it at 39

Stuani is now 39-years-of-age, but is still a regular presence for Girona all these years later.

After helping the club gain promotion back to La Liga in 2022, he has gone on to play another 116 times in the division, including on 31 occasions in 2023/24 when the Spanish club finished third in the table.

The forward featured in all eight of Girona’s league phase games in the Champions League in the following campaign, but he was unable to score or assist as they earned just three points from a possible 24.

But as recently as last May, he scored in back-to-back La Liga fixtures at the age of 39, yet it wasn’t enough to prevent Girona from again suffering relegation.

Stuani may not have been able to make too big of an impact at Middlesbrough, but even at 39, he is still showing what he can do in Spanish football.