Domagoj Duvnjak

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Domagoj Duvnjak

| image = 2023-11-26 Handball Bundesliga TVB Stuttgart - THW Kiel by mroptimax-32 (cropped) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Duvnjak with THW Kiel in 2023

| nationality = Croatian

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|6|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Đakovo, Croatia

| height = 1.97 m

| position = Centre back

| currentclub = THW Kiel

| clubnumber = 4

| years1 = 2004–2006

| clubs1 = RK Đakovo

| years2 = 2006–2009

| clubs2 = RK Zagreb

| years3 = 2009–2014

| clubs3 = HSV Hamburg

| years4 = 2014–

| clubs4 = THW Kiel

| nationalyears1 = 2006–2025

| nationalteam1 = Croatia

| nationalcaps1 = 257

| nationalgoals1 = 771

| ntupdate = 12 July 2024

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates =

}}

Domagoj Duvnjak (born 1 June 1988) is a Croatian professional handball player for THW Kiel. Regarded as one of the best handball players of all time, he was named the IHF World Player of the Year in 2013 and has won over twenty titles playing for clubs in Croatia and Germany.{{cite web |url=http://www.eurohandball.com/player/527539 |title=Domagoj Duvnjak |publisher=European Handball Federation |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-date=3 July 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140703075045/http://www.eurohandball.com/player/527539 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/153/pdf/CRO.pdf |title=2015 World Championship Roster |publisher=IHF |access-date=15 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218194554/http://www.ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/153/pdf/CRO.pdf |archive-date=18 December 2014}} Duvnjak began his senior club career at local team RK Đakovo in 2004, before moving to fellow Croatian club RK Zagreb two years later. In August 2009, Duvnjak signed a three-year contract with German team HSV Hamburg worth €2.25 million, including a transfer fee of €1.1 million, making him the most expensive handball player in history at the time.{{cite web |url=http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Sports/2009-08-25/5632/Handball_player_Domagoj_Duvnjak_to_transfer_to_HSV |title=Handball player Domagoj Duvnjak to transfer to HSV |date=25 August 2009 |work=croatiantimes.com |access-date=26 August 2009 |archive-date=14 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114175928/http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Sports/2009-08-25/5632/Handball_player_Domagoj_Duvnjak_to_transfer_to_HSV |url-status=dead}} He has played for German club THW Kiel since 2014 and is the team's captain.{{Cite web |last=Pazen |first=Björn |date=17 June 2013 |title=Duvnjak set for Kiel in 2014 |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/duvnjak-set-for-kiel-in-2014/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=European Handball Federation |language=en}}

Duvnjak made his debut for the Croatia national team in 2006 and competed at the Summer Olympics in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2024, winning a bronze medal in 2012, in addition to earning three World Championship medals and five European Championship medals with the national team.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://enciklopedija.hr/clanak/duvnjak-domagoj|title=Duvnjak, Domagoj|language=hr|encyclopedia=Croatian Encyclopedia|publisher=Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography|location=Zagreb|year=2013–2024}}{{Cite Sports-Reference |title=Domagoj Duvnjak |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/du/domagoj-duvnjak-1.html |access-date=9 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418101316/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/du/domagoj-duvnjak-1.html |archive-date=18 April 2020}}{{Olympedia}}{{Olympics.com|domagoj-duvnjak}}{{Cite news |url=http://ekipa.svet24.si/clanek/rokomet/reprezentancni-rokomet/579777d43d1ec/hrvaska-rokometna-ekipa-za-oi-znana |title=Hrvaška rokometna ekipa za OI znana |trans-title=The Croatian handball team for the OI is known |work=Ekipa24.si |access-date=9 August 2017 |language=sl}}[https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/domagoj-duvnjak_1903019 Domagoj Duvnjak] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics He captained the national team from 2017 until his international retirement in 2025 and holds the record for most appearances and goals for Croatia with 257 caps and 771 goals.

Club career

Duvnjak became a part of local club RK Đakovo's senior team in 2004. Two years later, he moved to fellow Croatian team RK Zagreb, where he won three consecutive league and national cup titles each. In August 2009, Duvnjak joined German club HSV Hamburg on a three-year contract worth €2.25 million and a transfer fee of €1.1 million, making him, at age 21, the most expensive handball player in history at the time. He won the DHB-Supercup and DHB-Pokal in his first season with the club, before winning the Bundesliga the following year.{{Cite web |last=Pazen |first=Björn |date=17 June 2013 |title=Duvnjak set for Kiel in 2014 |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/duvnjak-set-for-kiel-in-2014/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=European Handball Federation |language=en}} In 2013, Duvnjak helped Hamburg win the EHF Champions League, and received the Bundesliga Player of the Season and the IHF World Player of the Year award.{{Cite web |date=27 January 2014 |title=Duvnjak and Lekic awarded Grundfos World Handball Players of the Year 2013 |url=https://www.ihf.info/node/7333 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=International Handball Federation |language=en}} He joined fellow German team THW Kiel in 2014, where he won the Bundesliga in his debut season with the team. He became the captain of the team in 2016.{{Cite web |title=THW Kiel: Domagoj Duvnjak |url=https://archiv.thw-handball.de/thw/se_duvnj.htm |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=archiv.thw-handball.de}} Duvnjak won the EHF Cup in 2019 and the EHF Champions League the following season with Kiel.

International career

Duvnjak was part of the Croatia men's U-19 team that placed third at the 2005 World Championship and won the gold medal with the U-18 team at the European Championship in 2006. That same year, he made his debut for the senior Croatia men's national team. Duvnjak earned the silver medal with the U-19 national team at the 2007 World Championship and earned his first championship medal with the senior national team at the 2008 European Championship, where they placed second. Duvnjak and the national team placed second at the 2009 World Championship and the 2010 European Championship.

After finishing fifth at the 2011 World Championship, the Croatian national team earned three consecutive bronze medals by placing third at the 2012 European Championship, the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2013 World Championship, while Duvnjak was included on the latter tournament's All-Star Team as best centre back. He was again voted best centre back at an international championship after Croatia finished fourth at the 2014 European Championship. Duvnjak and the national team earned a bronze medal at the 2016 European Championship and placed fourth at the 2017 World Championship, where Duvnjak was included on the All-Star Team as best centre back for a third time. At the 2020 European Championship, Croatia earned a silver medal and Duvnjak was voted the most valuable player of the tournament.{{Cite web |last=Gahan |first=Courtney |date=3 February 2025 |title=Duvnjak bids farewell to beloved Croatia jersey |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/duvnjak-bids-farewell-to-beloved-croatia-jersey/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=European Handball Federation |language=en}} After placing second at the 2025 World Championship, Duvnjak retired from the national team.{{Cite web |date=27 January 2025 |title=Croatia’s Domagoj Duvnjak: Captain. Leader. Legend. |url=https://www.ihf.info/media-center/news/croatias-domagoj-duvnjak-captain-leader-legend |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=International Handball Federation}}

Personal life

Duvnjak's father Ivan is a former handballer and was a handball coach in Đakovo.{{cite web|language=hr|url=https://hkm.hr/zanimljivosti/domagoj-duvnjak-kapetan-hrvatske-reprezentacije-i-svojevremeno-najbolji-rukometas-svijeta/|title=DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK Kapetan hrvatske reprezentacije i svojevremeno najbolji rukometaš svijeta|trans-title=DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK Captain of the Croatia national handball team and world's best handball player of his time|website=hkm.hr|publisher=Croatian Catholic Network (HKM)|date=14 January 2025|last=Bišćan|first= Hrvoje Josip}}{{Cite web |date=26 April 2022 |title=This is me: Domagoj Duvnjak |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/this-is-me-domagoj-duvnjak/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=European Handball Federation |language=en}} His mother Ivanka (nee Sabljić), sister Iva, uncle Dragan and cousins were also handball players. During his childhood, Duvnjak was a fan of RK Zagreb and followed the Bundesliga. He attended gymnasium in his hometown Đakovo.

Duvnjak is married to his high school sweetheart Lucija and they have three children. He is Roman Catholic.

Honours

=Club=

;RK Zagreb

Croatian League: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
Croatian Cup: 2007, 2008, 2009

;HSV Hamburg

;THW Kiel

EHF Champions League: 2020
EHF Cup: 2019
Bundesliga: 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23
DHB-Pokal: 2017, 2019, 2022, 2025
DHB-Supercup: 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

=Individual=

General

Dražen Petrović Award: 2007
Bundesliga Ideal Team: 2011
Best Croatian handball player by SN & CHF: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015
Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2013{{cite web |last=Pazen |first=Björn |date=4 June 2013 |title=Duvnjak awarded best Bundesliga player |url=http://www.eurohandball.com/article/17204 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222031/http://www.eurohandball.com/article/17204 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=4 June 2013 |publisher=European Handball Federation}}
Handball Planet World's Best Handball Player: 2013{{cite web |url=http://www.handball-planet.com/worlds-best-handball-player-2013-domagoj-duvnjak/ |title=World's best handball player 2013: Domagoj Duvnjak! |date=2 December 2013 |publisher=handball-planet.com |access-date=2 December 2013}}
IHF World Player of the Year: 2013
Croatian Sportsman of the Year: 2020

All-Star Team

Best centre back of the 2013 World Championship
Best centre back of the 2014 European Championship
Best centre back of the 2017 World Championship
Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2020 European Championship

References

External links

{{International Handball Federation|23851}}
{{European Handball Federation|new_id=Adm00MKxybH4MAv1vpSU8g|id=527539}}
[http://hrs.hr/natjecanja-2/povijest_natjecanja/ HRS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922020911/https://hrs.hr/natjecanja-2/povijest_natjecanja/ |date=22 September 2020 }}
{{Olympics.com}}
[https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/domagoj-duvnjak_1903019 Domagoj Duvnjak] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
{{Olympedia}}
[http://www.domagojduvnjak.com/en/ Official website]{{dead link|date=January 2025}}

{{Navboxes colour

|title= Croatia squads

|bg = white

|fg = red

|bordercolor = red

|list1=