Nikola Karabatić

Nikola Karabatić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Карабатић; born 11 April 1984) is a French handball player. With the French national handball team, he has won two Olympic gold medals, which came in the Summer Olympics of 2008 and 2012, four World Championship gold medals, which came in 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2017, ((as well as three gold medals in the European Championship which came in 2006, 2010 and 2014. In addition, he also won L'Équipe Champion of Champions in 2011.

Club career

Karabatić began his professional career at the top French club Montpellier HB. It was there he became the French champion in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 as well as also winning the 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. 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 Nikola's father got a coaching job there when Nikola was 3 and a half years old. Nikola has a younger brother, Luka (born 19 April 1988).

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

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

Team awards

Club

• Champions league 2003, 2007, 2015
• Super Globe 2013, 2014
• European Supercup 2007
• French league 2002-2005, 2010-2012
• French cup 2001-2003, 2005, 2010, 2011
• French league cup 2004, 2005, 2010-2012
• French supercup 2010, 2011, 2015
• German league 2006-2009
• German cup 2007-2009
• German supercup 2005, 2007, 2008
• Spanish league 2014, 2015
• Spanish cup 2014, 2015
• Spanish supercup 2013, 2014
• Asobal cup 2013, 2014
• Catalania supercup 2013, 2014
• Pyrenea ligue 2004

International

• Olympics gold 2008, 2012
• World championship gold 2009, 2011, 2015 bronze 2003, 2007
• European championship gold 2006, 2010, 2014 bronze 2008
• World cup 2002
• Tournois de France 2007, 2011

Individual

• IHF World Player of the Year – Men: 2007, 2014
• Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the World Championship: 2011, 2017
• Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the European Championship: 2008, 2014
• Top Scorer of the European Championship: 2008
• All-Star Centre back of the Olympic Games: 2012
• All-Star Left back of the World Championship: 2007
• All-Star Left back of the European Championship: 2004, 2008
• Best striker of champions league 2007
• Best player of German league 2007, 2008
• Best left back 2006, 2007, 2008
• Best player of German All-stars game 2007
• Best left back of French league 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013
• Best player of French league 2010, 2013
• Best player of French supercup 2010
• Best player of Tournois de France 2007, 2011
• All-stars team of champions league 2014
• Sportsman on France 2011