Iker Romero: New hope for Austria's national handball team!

Iker Romero: New hope for Austria's national handball team!

Österreich - From summer 2025, the former Spanish handball world champion Iker Romero will take over the management of the men's Austrian national handball team. He succeeds Aleš Pajovič, who was able to celebrate remarkable success in his term. Romero has signed a contract for three years until the summer of 2028, which brings it into a key position in order to significantly influence the future of Austrian handball. As Vol.at , Romero should also promote youth work in the country and with his experience, the handball sport to further develop.

Romero, who is 44 years old and celebrated numerous successes during his career, scored an impressive 753 goals in 200 international matches. This makes him the second most successful goal scorer in the history of the Spanish national team. His greatest triumph to date was the winning of the World Cup in 2005. He also won the EHF Champions League twice with FC Barcelona, ​​which has entered the annals of European handball. The successes of the Austrian national team, such as places eight at the EHF European Championships 2020 and 2024 as well as the first move into the main round of the 2025 World Cup, were also discussed.

The goals of the ÖHB

The President of the Austrian Handball Association (ÖHB), Markus Plazer, confidently commented on future developments and formulated the goal of continuing the national team's success. With a view to Olympia 2028, Romero will play a crucial role. Sports director Patrick Fölser praised the passion and experience of the new team leader, while Secretary General Bernd Rabenseifner highlighted the great importance of Romero's obligation to work in Austrian handball.

The term of the office of Aleš Pajovič, who led Austrian handball into the most successful phase during his time as team leader. The team experienced remarkable achievements under his leadership and was able to develop decisively.

handball in Austria and its history

The development of handball in Austria is rich in social and historical changes. These facets are discussed in research work on handball in the country. Historically, handball in Austria has its beginnings in the 1920s, shaped by political influences and social structures. The division of the handball system into workers' handball players and ÖHB handball players in 1926 and the later ban on social democratic organizations during Austrofascism are just a few of the striking points in the history of Austrian handball. Target = "_ blank"> Utheses.univie.ac.at examines the development of the ÖHB from its beginnings to the end of the Second World War and looks at the challenges that sport had to master in the course of history.