15/05/2026
𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗮 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 : 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝘁
Three-time Olympic champion, four-time World Champion and four-time European Champion, Nikola Karabatic owns one of the greatest résumés in handball history.
Every week, we look back at the careers of the greatest legends in handball history.. For the first one, Nikola Karabatic was obviously in our minds. Legendary centre back, he enjoyed an extraordinary twenty-three-year career. He was feared by everyone. Quick on the pitch, strong shoot, vocal leader, Karabatic earned the respect of an entire generation. During his career, he scored 295 goals in European championship, he remains the all-time leading scorer in front of legendary players such as Gudjon Valor Sigurdson or Mikkel Hansen.
𝗔 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
With France, Karabatic built a legacy unmatched in handball history. In 2002, at eighteen years old, Nikola Karabatic was a kid with one year of experience in Team France. Very quickly, he started in A Team with a lucky sign.
“𝖨 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝖱𝖾𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖴𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝟣𝟫 𝖥𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖳𝖾𝖺𝗆. 𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗒 𝖽𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗈𝗋 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝗎𝗀𝗀𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖲𝗐𝖾𝖽𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗃𝗈𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠 𝖳𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖺 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗃𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽. 𝖨𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗓𝗒", said the handball icon to France Inter in 2025.
In 2004, Karabatic discovered the Olympics Game. France lost in the quarter finals but it was just the beginning. In 2008, Karabatic became the best player in the world with his first Olympic title in Beijing. He added two more Olympic titles in 2012 and 2020.
𝗔 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲
As he became famous in his sport, Nikola Karabatic started to be the number one figure of handball in France. After his first Olympic title in 2008, Karabatic appeared in his first advertising campaigns with brands such as Mennen or Head and Shoulders. With the rise of social media, the backcourt star became one of the most recognizable athletes in France.
At the 2012 Olympic Games, Karabatic felt for the first time that he was a star. “ I was with Usain Bolt on ads, I shooted ads with Visa. I was everywhere in the Olympic Village”. recalled Karabatic in France Inter. It is just the reward of an amazing career. Nikola Karabatic has influenced a lot of kids and people to discover handball.
Do you think that Nikola Karabatic is the goat of handball?