Nikola Karabatić

Nikola Karabatić (born 11 April 1984) is a male French handball player for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team.[1]

Nikola Karabatić
Karabatić in August 2015
Personal information
Born (1984-04-11) 11 April 1984
Niš, SR Serbia,
SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality French
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current club Paris Saint-Germain
Number 44
Senior clubs
Years Team
2000–2005
 Montpellier Handball
2005–2009
 THW Kiel
2009–2013
 Montpellier Handball
2013
 Pays d'Aix
2013–2015
 FC Barcelona
2015–
 Paris Saint-Germain
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–
 France 313 (1210)

With the French national handball team, he has won two Olympic gold medals (Summer Olympics of 2008 and 2012), four World Championship gold medals (2009, 2011, 2015 and 2017) as well as three gold medals in the European Championship (2006, 2010 and 2014). He also won L'Équipe Champion of Champions in 2011.[2] He is regarded as one of the greatest players in handball history,[3] and he was IHF World Player of the Year for a record-tying three times, in 2007, 2014, and 2016.

Club career

Karabatić began his professional career at the top French club Montpellier HB. There he became French champion in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 as well as winner of the EHF Champions League in 2003. He then played for the German club THW Kiel, who became German champions in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and won the EHF Champions League in 2007. In the summer of 2009 he left Germany and returned to Montpellier HB, winning three further French champion titles in 2010, 2011 and 2012. After a quick stay in Pays d'Aix Université Club handball, Aix-en-Provence, between February and June in 2013, he moved to FC Barcelona and then in 2015 he moved to and currently plays for PSG Handball.

International career

He is an Olympic, World and European champion. He first became a European champion in the 2006 European Men's Handball Championship, subsequentially becoming a bronze medallist in the 2008 edition of the championship. He has received two bronze medals at the World Championships, in 2003 and 2005. At the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship, he was voted into the All-Star Team in which France finished fourth. He was also voted into the All Star Team at the 2004 European Men's Handball Championship.

Personal life

Nikola was born in Niš, SFR Yugoslavia, to a Croatian father and Serbian mother. Nikola's father Branko Karabatić, who was also a professional handball player, is originally from Vrsine, a village between Trogir and Marina in Croatia.[4][5][6] In his career, Branko played for the Železničar handball team from Niš, which is where he met his wife Radmila, who is originally from Aleksinac, Serbia.[7] The family moved to France after Nikola's father got a coaching job there when Nikola was 3 and a half years old. His younger brother, Luka, is also a professional handball player.[5]

On 30 September 2012, he was involved in match-fixing and was arrested alongside his wife and his brother Luka.[8][9]

In addition to French, he speaks English, German, Spanish and Croatian / Serbian.[10]

Achievements

Club

International

Individual
  • IHF World Player of the Year – Men
    • Winner: 2007, 2014, 2016
    • Second: 2009, 2010, 2015
  • With French national team:
    • Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the World Championship (2): 2011, 2017
    • Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the European Championship (2): 2008, 2014
    • Top Scorer of the European Championship: 2008
    • All-Star Centre back of the Olympic Games: 2012, 2016
    • All-Star Centre back of the World Championship: 2009, 2015
    • All-Star Centre back of the European Championship: 2010
    • All-Star Left back of the World Championship: 2007
    • All-Star Left back of the European Championship: 2004
    • Best player of Tournoi de France: 2007, 2011
  • With clubs:
    • champions league
      • Best striker: 2007 (89 goals)
      • All-stars team: 2014
    • France
      • Best player of French league: 2010, 2013, 2017
      • Best left back of French league: 2004, 2005
      • Best center back of French league: 2010, 2016, 2017
      • Best player of French supercup: 2010
    • Germany
      • Best player of the year in Germany: 2007, 2008
      • Best player of the season in German league: 2006–07, 2007–08
      • Best left back in German league: 2006, 2007, 2008
      • Best player of German All-stars game: 2007
    • Best player of Spanish league: 2014, 2015
  • Others
    • Sportsman on France: 2011

References
  1. "European Handball Federation - Nikola Karabatic / Player". www.eurohandball.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  2. "2015 World Championship Roster" (PDF). IHF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  3. "Ivano Balic voted best male player ever". ihf.info. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  4. SVI SMO NAVIJALI ZA NAŠU HRVATSKU , Slobodna Dalmacija, July 21, 2003
  5. "Никола Карабатић: Желим злато у родном Нишу". Glas Srpske. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  6. Official EHF EURO Channel (24 January 2012). "Interview with Nikola Karabatic, the Serbian born French player". Retrieved 9 May 2019 – via YouTube.
  7. "Код куће говоримо само српски". Ilustrovana Politika. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  8. "Start of French Handball Match-Fixing Trial". Sports Integrity Initiative. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  9. "Karabatic found guilty in match-fixing trial". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  10. Video on YouTube
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