Nikola Karabatić

Nikola Karabatić (born 11 April 1984) is a French former professional handball player who was named IHF World Player of the Year a male record-tying three times, in 2007, 2014, and 2016. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in handball history.

With the French national handball team, he won three Olympic gold medals (Summer Olympics of 2008, 2012 and 2020), four World Championship gold medals (2009, 2011, 2015, and 2017) as well as four gold medals in the European Championship (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2024). He also won L'Équipe Champion of Champions in 2011.

He was inducted into the EHF Hall of Fame in 2024.

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 for PSG Handball, where he played until his retirement in 2024.

International career He is an Olympic, World and European champion. This makes eleven titles out of 17 medals won, which constitutes an absolute record.

He first became a European champion in the 2006 European Men's Handball Championship, subsequently becoming a bronze medallist in the 2008 edition of the championship (without forgetting 2018). He has received two more bronze medals at the World Championships, in 2005 and 2019. 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 Karabatić was born in Niš, SFR Yugoslavia, to a Croatian father and Serbian mother. Karabatić's father Branko Karabatić, who was also a professional handball player, is originally from Vrsine, a village between Trogir and Marina in Croatia. 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. The family moved to France after Karabatić's father got a coaching job there when Karabatić was years old. His younger brother, Luka, is also a professional handball player.

In addition to French and Serbo-Croatian, he speaks English, German and Spanish.

Major tournament statistics

Achievements Club EHF Champions League: Winner in 2003, 2007, 2015 Runners up in 2008, 2009, 2017 IHF Super Globe: 2013, 2014 European Super Cup: 2007 French league: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 French Cup: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2022 French League Cup: 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 French Supercup: 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023 German league: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 German Cup: 2007, 2008, 2009 German Supercup: 2005, 2007, 2008 Spanish league: 2014, 2015 Spanish Cup: 2014, 2015 Spanish supercup: 2013, 2014 Asobal Cup: 2013, 2014 Catalonia Supercup: 2013, 2014 Pyrenees league: 2004

International Olympics Gold: 2008, 2012, 2020 Silver: 2016 World Championship Gold: 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017 Silver: 2023 Bronze: 2005, 2019 European Championship Gold: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2024 Bronze: 2008, 2018 World Cup 2002 Tournoi de France: 2007, 2011

Individual IHF World Player of the Year – Men Winner: 2007, 2014, 2016 Second: 2009, 2010, 2015 Third: 2011 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 Top scorer: 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 Spain Best player of Spanish league: 2014, 2015 Others Sportsman on France: 2011 EHF Hall of Fame in 2024.