For many handball fans, Croatia without its leading figure Domagoj Duvnjak is still difficult to imagine – but national coach Dagur Sigurdsson has already chosen his successor: Ivan Martinovic.
This path is supposed to be a difficult one. At least that’s how the German team imagines it. Tough duels, pain, loud whistling opposing fans, and even playful stumbling blocks are expressly desired when the DHB team plays its last two test games before the start of the European Championship. The opponent who is supposed to cause this physical and psychological stress both times is Croatia – a feared opponent of the Germans, the last four duels all went to the Croatians.
On Thursday evening (from 8:30 p.m. in the live stream on sportschau.de) we will go back to Zagreb before the dress rehearsal awaits on Sunday in Hanover (from 6:05 p.m. live on Erste and on sportschau.de). “I hope that the hall boos us, that they play very physically against us, that we get into real problems. Because then we still have time to make mistakes but to find solutions straight away.”said backcourt player Renārs Uščins. Team manager Benjamin Chatton also clarifies: “We consciously decided to play an away game in order to not only have the feel-good atmosphere at home.”
Quick Captain’s decision by Sigurdsson
Domagoj Duvnjak will then no longer be part of the team, which should take away any feel-good factor from national coach Alfred Gislason’s team. The head, but above all the heart, of the Croatians ended his fantastic international career after the World Cup last year and left a gap as a personality that cannot be filled so quickly.
However, Croatia coach Sigurdsson quickly had a clear idea of who should take over from Duvnjak. Shortly after the lost World Cup final against Denmark, the coach named Ivan Martinovic, then still under contract with the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, as the new leader of the national team.
Dagur Sigurdsson, Croatia coach
“Great guy – and humorous”
The Icelander named Martinovic, who moved to One Veszprem in the summer to play regularly in the Champions League, as the one “perfect candidate” for this important role. Sigurdsson, who led Germany to the European Championship title in 2016, explained it this way: “Ivan is the right age, a professional and a world-class player. A new era is beginning and he will be the new leader. He is a great guy, very professional and humorous – the team will follow him.”
The right back shooter turned 28 on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) and has been part of the national team for seven years. In addition to him, two other warriors are now taking on more responsibility: Martinovic’s Veszprem colleague Luka Cindric and Marko Mamic from SC DHfK Leipzig – both merciless defenders, both with more than 100 international matches.
Veszprem’s Ivan Martinovic (r.) in the game against Füchse Berlin
Six players from the Bundesliga
Keeper Dominik Kuzmanovic from VfL Gummersbach is also in demand, as are the other Bundesliga players in the Croatian squad: keeper Matej Mandic (SC Magdeburg), left winger David Mandic (MT Melsungen) and the pivots Veron Nacinovic (THW Kiel) and Josip Simic (HSG Wetzlar). They have once again set themselves the goal of winning a medal at the European Championships. For Thursday and Sunday they should be the spoilsports for Germany.