Valter Matošević

Valter Matošević (born 11 June 1970) is a former Croatian team handball player who was at the goalkeeper position. He played for professional teams in Croatia, Germany, Spain, Denmark and Italy. He is current handball coach.

He was part of the national team for 12 years and won gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2003 World Men's Handball Championship and 2004 Summer Olympics.

In 2023 he became the assistant goalkeeping coach to first Goran Perkovac and then Dagur Sigurðsson in the Croatian Handball Team and (as of 2026) he helped the team win two medals (2025, 2026).

Career Matošević started his career in his hometown club RK Zamet where he competed in Yugoslav First League and Croatian First League. At a very young age he was recognized as a goalkeeper prodigy so at the age of 16 he made his debut for Zamet II.

In 1993 he left to join Badel 1862 Zagreb later Croatia Banka the Croatian handball title holders. At Zagreb Matošević had three successes, winning the league and cup while reaching the Champions League finals in 1995.

He returned to Zamet in 1996, who had just come out of the Croatian Second League, and spent four years there helping return the club to the top of Croatian handball. During this time he captained his team. Later his career took him to Metković Jambo, Bologna 69, Wilhelmshavener HV, two more spells at Zagreb, Poreč, HSG Wetzlar, Portland San Antonio and FCK Håndbold. After playing out of Croatia for a few years Matošević returned to RK Zamet in 2009 to end his career.

In December 2010 TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke called up Matošević to play for half a season due to the injury of their goalkeeper Nikola Blažičko.

In 2015 he came out of retirement again to play for ThSV Eisenach so they could get promoted to the A rank bundesliga. They finished second in the league and were promoted to the 1. bundesliga.

International career Matošević made his first appearance for the Yugoslav national team in 1989. He competed for Yugoslavia at 1991 Mediterranean Games in Athens.

He played for the Croatian national team from 1992 till 2004.

Matošević was a member of the Croatian national team that won gold Olympic medals two times: at the 1996 Summer Olympics and at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

He played in the 1994 European Championship, 1995 World Championship, 1996 European Championship, 1997 World Championship, 1998 European Championship, 2000 European Championship 2001 World Championship, 2002 European Championship and 2003 World Championship, where Croatia was the world champion.

He also played in various friendly tournaments for Croatia such as the Croatia Cup, Elfag Cup, Paris tournament and Super League.

Matošević scored a goal against the United States in 2001. He also scored a goal at the 2003 World Championship Qualification Tournament against Saudi Arabia.

After the 2004 Summer Olympics he went into retirement from the national team.

Coaching career After his second retirement he started coaching the goalkeepers of Croatia U-19, RK Zamet where he is also the assistant coach and the Croatian national team. Matošević has also been a part of the RINA handball academy, coaching children in Rijeka and Kastav.

On 31 October Željko Babić, the head coach of the Croatian national team, announced that Venio Losert would be the new goalkeeper coach of the national team. Matošević responded three days later stating that Babić didn't even call him to tell him the news. He then gave the players and the team his best wishes.

Personal life In 2016 he appeared in two documentaries, Od ponora do Olimpa and Prvi Put, which follow the events of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where Croatia won their first gold medal in handball.

Honours

Club RK Zamet Croatian First A League Vice-champions (1): 1992 Croatian Cup Finalist (1): 2000 Yugoslav Second League Winner (1): 1986-87

RK Zagreb Croatian First League Winner (5): 1993-94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05 Croatian Handball Cup Winner (5): 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2005 EHF Champions League Runner-up (1): 1995 EHF Cup Winners' Cup Finalist (1): 2005

RK Metković Croatian First League Vice-champions (1): 2000-01 Croatian Handball Cup Winner (1): 2001 EHF Cup Finalist (1): 2001

FCK Håndbold Danish Handball Cup Winner (1): 2009

ThSV Eisenach 2. Bundesliga Promotion (1): 2014-15

Individual 2nd best goalkeeper at World Championship in Iceland 1995 Best Croatian handballer of 1995 by CHF & Sportske novosti Sportsperson of the year by Novi list - 1995 Ivica Jobo Kurtini Award - 1995 Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport - 1996 and 2004 RK Zamet hall of fame - 2015 Plack with names of Rijeka's Olympic medalists -2014 RK Zamet hall of fame - 2015

Records Record in Croatian national team for the number of saves in one match - 24 Rijeka's sportsperson with the most sports honours

Yugoslavia 1991 Mediterranean Games in Athens - 1st

Croatia Major tournaments 1994 European Championship in Portugal - 3rd 1995 World Championship in Island - 2nd 1996 European Championship in Spain- 5th 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta - 1st 1997 World Championship in Japan - 13th 1998 European Championship in Italy - 8th 2000 European Championship in Croatia - 6th 2001 World Championship in France - 9th 2002 European Championship in Sweden - 16th 2003 World Championship in Portugal - 1st 2004 European Championship in Slovenia - 4th 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens - 1st

Minor tournaments 1996 Stratoil World Cup - 8th 1997 Mediterranean Games in Bari - 1st 1999 Pre-Olympic Tournament - 2nd 1999 Super Cup in Germany - 2nd 2001 Mediterranean Games in Tunis - 1st 2001 Super Cup in Germany - 4th 2003 World Championship Qualification Tournament in Portugal - 1st 2003 Super Cup in Germany - 4th

Friendly tournaments 1997 Paris Tournament - 1st 2000 Croatia Cup - 1st 2002 Elfag Cup - 2nd 2002 Getman Cup - 2nd

Croatia U-19 2013 Youth World Championship - 2nd

Coach RK Mornar-Crikvenica Croatian Second League - West (1): 2017-18

Orders