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Ivano Balić

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Ivano Balić
Balić in August 2009
Personal information
Full name Ivano Balić
Born (1979-04-01) 1 April 1979 (age 45)
Split, SR Croatia,
Yugoslavia
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current club Croatia (assistant coach)
Senior clubs
Years Team
1997–2001
 RK Brodomerkur Split
2001–2004
 RK Metković Jambo
2004–2008
 Portland San Antonio
2008–2012
 RK CO Zagreb
2012–2019
 Atlético Madrid
2013–2015
 HSG Wetzlar
National team
Years Team
1998–1999
 Croatia U-20
1998–1999
 Croatia U-21
2001–2012
 Croatia 198 (535)
Teams managed
2021–
 Croatia (assistant)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2003 Portugal Team
Silver medal – second place 2005 Tunisia Team
Silver medal – second place 2009 Croatia Team
Statoil World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2006 Sweden & Germany Team
European Championship
Silver medal – second place 2008 Norway Team
Silver medal – second place 2010 Austria Team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Serbia Team
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 2001 Tunisia Team

Ivano Balić (pronounced [ǐʋano bǎːlitɕ, - bǎ-]; born 1 April 1979) is a Croatian former professional handballer who is currently working as assistant coach of the Croatia national handball team.[1] He was voted five times in a row as the most valuable player in major international competitions,[2][3] and is one of only four male handball players who received the IHF World Player of the Year award on two occasions (2003, 2006). He was voted the best handball player in history in an online poll organized by the International Handball Federation (IHF).[4]

Balić was a 2003 World and 2004 Olympic champion with Croatia.

Early life

Born in Split, Ivano was the only child of handball players, mother Stjepanka and father Žarko Balić. After the first three months of his birth, Balić moved with his parents to Italy because of his father's professional career. During his time in Italy Balić lived in Rovereto and Prato. At age of seven Balić and his mother returned to Split. When his father came back playing for RK Split in the Yugoslav Second League, Balić would always love to watch his father's play.

Balić started playing basketball with KK Split due to him being a big fan of the club, which at the time was three time European champion. He played basketball until 1995 when his father's friend and coach at RK Split, Mate Bokan, at the time suggested he should play handball.[5]

Club career

Balić began his senior handball career with RK Brodomerkur Split which competed in the top-tier Croatian First A League. In his first season Brodomerkur finished second in the league and got to the semi-finals of the EHF Cup where they lost to THW Kiel which won the Cup.[6] He played for Brodomerkur for three more seasons reaching top positions in the league and reaching the quarter-finals of the EHF Cup.

In 2001 Balić moved to RK Metković Jambo. His first season started out with winning the Croatian Cup and league championship. Even though Metković won the league, their title was stripped away administratively and given to Badel 1862 Zagreb. This season was also his first season playing the EHF Champions League. The next few seasons Balić spent perfecting his game which was mostly seen in 2003 when he became the first Croatian handballer to win the IHF World Player of the Year award and was voted Croatian Handballer of the Year in 2004.

Balić moved to Portland San Antonio in 2004. He chose San Antonio so he could play with his idol Jackson Richardson. During his first season, he helped the club win the league championship and reached the quarter-final of the Champions League. The next season saw Balić in his first and only Champions League final. Unfortunately, San Antonio lost to a very strong BM Ciudad Real in both final matches (losing 19–25 in the first and 28–37 in the second leg). Although he did not win the Champions League, he got his second IHF World Player of the Year award in 2006.[7] In 2007 Balić was voted best Croatian athlete by Sportske novosti.

Between 2008 and 2012, Balić played for Croatian powerhouse RK CO Zagreb, winning the Croatian Premier League and Croatian Cup four times.

In 2012 Balić returned to Spain to play for Atlético Madrid. He stayed for only a season because the club went through bankruptcy. At the club he had a fantastic season winning the IHF Super Globe and Copa del Rey while finishing second in the league championship.[8]

In 2013 Balić signed with German team HSG Wetzlar.[9] After two seasons spending there, Balić announced his retirement from professional handball at the beginning of the 2014–15 season.[10] On 5 June, Balić played his last professional handball game in a 29–24 win against Göppingen, in which he scored one goal and made five assists.[11]

International career

In 1998 Balić started playing for Croatia under-20 and under-21 national teams at the same time. Next year he was called up to play for the senior Croatia men's national team, but he got pneumonia. He came to training and the physiotherapist noticed that he was sick so they gave him some antibiotics and sent him home.

In December 2000 Balić was called up to train for the 2001 World Championship. In training, Balić got injured by trying to catch a reflected ball to which Petar Metličić fell on his foot and ruptured his ligaments. Because of this injury, Balić had to rest for twenty days and missed the World Championship in France.[12]

Balić finally made his debut for the senior national team at the 2001 Mediterranean Games in Tunisia where Croatia won first place. Next year Balić played at the 2002 European Championship in Sweden where Croatia finished in last place. Although they finished last in the tournament, they shocked the world a year later at the 2003 World Championship in Portugal where they won first place; after losing their opening match against Argentina (29–30), they beat Saudi Arabia, Russia, France, Hungary, Egypt, Denmark, Spain, and lastly Germany in the final.

Left-to-right: Balić, Renato Sulić, Denis Špoljarić, Nikša Kaleb, Slavko Goluža, Mirza Džomba, and Goran Šprem celebrating winning the 2003 World Championship in Portugal

In January 2004 Balić was called up to play at the 2004 European Championship in Slovenia. Croatia had a good start in the group stage beating Spain and Denmark, and conceding a draw against Portugal. Croatia came all the way to the semi-finals where they lost against hosts Slovenia and finished fourth losing to Denmark in a third place game. Balić was included in the all-star team and was voted the best player and the best play maker at the tournament. In August of the same year Balić was selected to play at the 2004 Summer Olympics where the national team won first place. Croatia went undefeated through the tournament and Balić was selected in the all-star team and was the best play maker at the tournament. For winning the gold medal, all players were awarded the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport yearly award. Balić won the award with the team, as he also won another yearly award by himself.[13]

At the 2005 World Championship in Tunisia, Croatia came in second place losing to Spain in the final game. Balić was voted MVP of the tournament and the best play maker. At the 2006 European Championship in Switzerland, Croatia came in fourth. Balić was once again voted MVP of the tournament and the best play maker, also being the fourth top goalscorer with 43 goals and top field goalscorer. The same year Balić was also part of the team that won the Stratoil World Cup in Sweden and Germany. During this tournament Balić invented the nickname of the Croatian national team: Kauboji (Template:Lang-en).

At the 2007 World Championship in Germany, Croatia came in fifth place, with Balić was voted MVP once again. Balić also played during the 2008 European Championship in Norway where Croatia suffered a defeat from Denmark in the final. That silver medal was the first European championship medal Balić had won. Balić was also voted best centre back and was joint top goalscorer alongside Nikola Karabatić and Lars Christiansen with 44 goals.

Balić playing at the 2010 European Championship

In the 2008 European Championship, he was the equal top scorer with 44 goals as he led Croatia to a silver medal and was also voted to the all-star team of the tournament. The same year Balić was selected to be Croatia's flagbearer at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Unfortunately, the tournament did not go so well. Croatia finished in fourth place losing the third place for the bronze medal to Spain in an awful defeat of 29–35. Balić did not play his best at the tournament failing to receive an award. The next national team challenge Balić faced was the 2009 World Championship in Croatia. Even though Croatia went undefeated throughout the tournament, France beat them in a painful final match, during which a rivalry emerged between Balić and Nikola Karabatić, which the media named "clash of the titans".[14] At the 2010 European Championship in Austria, Croatia won another silver medal losing to France in the final game.

Following unsuccessful 2011 World Championship, where Croatia came in fifth place, in 2012 Balić won two bronze medals with Croatia–at the European Championship in Serbia and at the Olympics in London. Prior to the 2013 World Championship in Spain, Balić was dropped from the national team by then head coach Slavko Goluža, thus he retired from the national team.[15] After the match, there was a special ceremony dedicated to Balić. During the ceremony, Jackson Richardson, his handball idol, came to congratulate him on his career.[16]

Post-playing career

Following his retirement from playing professional handball, Balić joined the Croatia men's national handball team coaching staff under newly appointed head coach Željko Babić as team's coordinator, alongside his old colleagues Petar Metličić as assistant and Valter Matošević as goalkeeper coach. As part of that staff he won the bronze medal at the 2016 European Championship in Poland with the rest of the team, and was also part of the fifth-place placement at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[17]

On 8 April 2021, the Croatian Handball Federation appointed Balić as assistant coach to Hrvoje Horvat in the coaching staff of the senior Croatian national handball team.[18]

Personal life

From 1999 to 2006 Balić was married to his wife Ivana. They have together one son, Dino, born 2000. In 2014 Balić got his second child, first with girlfriend Mirela Delić, a son named Vigo.[19] In 2016 Balić became a father for the third time.[citation needed]

Balić enjoys watching basketball.

Honours

Orders

See also

References

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ivano Balić". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
  2. ^ "World Handball Players of the Year 2006: Nadine Krause (GER) and Ivano Balic (CRO)". International Handball Federation. 14 June 2007. Archived from the original on 15 November 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2010. To make a long story short: an all-rounder you may not have seen before in handball. Balic is a real star. The handball director, who fully deserved the award as Most Valuable Player of the 2007 World Championship, knows that. He knows the ritual since 2003, at least every second year. Given these facts, it seems to be a little bit surprising that this is only the second time after 2003 that the exceptional player has been elected World Handball Player of the Year.
  3. ^ "Ivano Balic, the MVP of all MVPs". European Handball Federation. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013. No other handball player to date has been awarded 'Most Valuable Player' more often than Ivano Balic, making him - figuratively speaking - the MVP of all MVPs. The 34-year-old playmaker received the honour at five consecutive major events, first at the EHF EURO 2004 in Slovenia followed by the 2004 Olympic Games, the World Championship 2005, the EHF EURO 2006 and the World Championship 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Ivano Balic voted best male player ever". ihf.info. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Ivano Balić - rukometna slava flegmatičnog Splićanina". arhiva.nacional.hr (in Croatian).
  6. ^ "RK Brodomerkur Split 1997-98". eurohandball.com (in Croatian).
  7. ^ "Ivano Balić". hrtsport.net (in Croatian).
  8. ^ "BM Atletico Madrid bankrupt". handball-magazine.com.
  9. ^ "Ivano Balić potpisao za Wetzlar!". Večernji list (in Croatian).
  10. ^ "Ivano Balić okončao je igračku karijeru, a ovdje se prisjetite njegovih najvećih uspjeha". telegram.hr (in Croatian).
  11. ^ "Oprostio se rukometni bog Balićeva mastorija za kraj". 24 sata (in Croatian).
  12. ^ "13 ozljeda rukometnog ratnika". arhiva.nacional.hr (in Croatian).
  13. ^ "Dodjela državne nagrade u športu Franjo Bučar u Splitu". Index.hr (in Croatian).
  14. ^ "Balić vs Karabatić obračun titana". Index.hr (in Croatian).
  15. ^ "Ivano Balić progovorio o reprezentaciji i Slavko Goluži". tportal.hr (in Croatian).
  16. ^ "Ivano Balić igra posljednju utakmicu karijere". sport.hrt.hr (in Croatian).
  17. ^ "IVANO BALIĆ 'Nikomu, pa ni Gobcu, ništa ne zamjeram, ne mora moja biti zadnja'". nacional.hr (in Croatian).
  18. ^ "Savez: Zastoj liga do sredine svibnja, rukometašicama zaslužena nagrada, Ivano Balić pomoćnik izbornika Horvata". hrs.hr (in Croatian). Croatian Handball Federation. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  19. ^ "IVANO BALIĆ dobio sina". story.hr (in Croatian).
  20. ^ "Skelini-sportaši Dalmacije za 2003.g." hvk-gusar.hr (in Croatian).
  21. ^ "Ivano Balić biography". hoo.hr (in Croatian).
Awards
Preceded by IHF World Player of the Year
2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by IHF World Player of the Year
2006 		Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for  Croatia
Beijing 2008 		Succeeded by
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