Karabatic aims for fourth trophy in fourth jersey

Two Frenchmen have the chance to continue their long series of triumphs, add to their trophy collection and write more pieces of handball history in Cologne.

PSG goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer can become the twelfth male handball player in history to win the EHF Champions League five times. With four EHF Champions League trophies in his tally – the first from 2003 with Montpellier, followed by three titles with Kiel – Omeyer is the most successful VELUX EHF FINAL4 participant at the 2016 edition. Another Frenchman has a different goal: Nikola Karabatic is the only player at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2016 in Cologne with the chance to defend the title. The 2007 and 2014 World Handball Player of the Year won the trophy one year ago with FC Barcelona and was named MVP of the event before he transferred to PSG. If Karabatic raises the trophy in Cologne on 29 May he will be the first – of either individual players or teams – to defend his title in Cologne since the implementation of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in LANXESS Arena in 2009/10. He would also become the first player in history to win the trophy with four different clubs: Montpellier, Kiel, Barcelona and PSG. Besides Karabatic, three players on court in Cologne have won the Champions League three times: Kiel left wing Dominik Klein, Veszprém right back Christian Zeitz (both three times with Kiel) and Kielce playmaker Uros Zorman, who won the trophy twice with Ciudad Real and once with Celje. In total, 11 multiple EHF Champions League winners will participate in the season’s pinnacle event, as well as eight one-time winners of the competition.   The record holder is still Andrei Xepkin, who won the trophy six times with FC Barcelona before he ended his remarkable career with his seventh title with THW Kiel in 2007. Three players have won six titles, among them former Barcelona goalkeepers David Barrufet and Tomas Svensson. Siarhei Rutenka, who won the title three times with Ciudad Real, twice with Barcelona and once with Celje, joined the list of six-time winners when Barca raised the trophy in 2015.

Multiple EHF Champions League players in the four VELUX EHF FINAL squads: THW Kiel: Dominik Klein (Kiel 2006/07, Kiel 2009/10, Kiel 2011/12), Christian Sprenger (Kiel 2009/10, Kiel 2011/12 Paris Saint-Germain Handball: Daniel Narcisse (Kiel 2010, Kiel 2012), Nikola Karabatic (Montpellier 2003, Kiel 2007, Barcelona 2015), Thierry Omeyer (Montpellier 2003, Kiel 2007, Kiel 2010, Kiel 2012) KS Vive Tauron Kielce: Uros Zorman (Celje 2003/04, Ciudad Real 2007/08, Ciudad Real 2008/09), Tobias Reichmann (Kiel 2009/10, Kiel 2011/12) MVM Veszprém: Christian Zeitz (Kiel 2006/07, Kiel 2009/10, Kiel 2011/12), Laszlo Nagy (Barcelona 2004/05, Barcelona 2010/11), Momir Ilic (Kiel 2009/10, Kiel 2011/12), Aron Palmarsson (Kiel 2009/10, 2011/12) VELUX EHF FINAL4 2016 participants with one Champions League title: THW Kiel: Steffen Weinhold (Flensburg 2013/14), Domagoj Duvnjak (Hamburg …

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