FCBARCELONA.CAT

08.02.2010 12:37

Best Handball Goalkeeper in the World

Verònica Díez

David Barrufet, the best goalkeeper in the history of handball, will be leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season after 21 years with the Club and no fewer than 70 medals.

The Barça captain leaves nobody indifferent. He’s got character in abundance, elegance both on and off the court, he’s a born winner, a good team-mate and a shot-stopping machine.

At the age of nearly 40 – making him the oldest member of the squad – he approaches each game with the same enthusiasm as the youngest hopeful. He lives and breathes FC Barcelona and his devotion to the Club has helped make him a living icon, a player the fans will never forget.

With 280 international appearances he is Spain’s most capped player. He made his international debut in 1990 and since then has collected 8 medals, the latest being the Olympic bronze in Beijing.

Three key moments

He started playing handball at the age of 8 at school and soon joined the Barça youth academy. He broke into the senior league in 1988 winning first a Spanish Super Cup and then the Asobal League. However, his biggest triumph at this early point in his career was winning the European Cup in 1991.

However, Barrufet’s Golden Age began four years later. Over five years he won five league titles, five Champions League titles and four European Super Cups.

Perpetual motion

The years have gone by but Barrufet continues to surprise us. Apart from consistently good performances and remaining one of the key elements of the Barça squad, the FC Barcelona Borges goalkeeper has become the team’s best ambassador.

Successes have continued to accumulate. In the 2004/05 season, the European Cup final between Barça and Ciudad Real ended in a glorious victory for Barça. In 2005/06 he won his last league title and he has now collected some 70 medals. The latest was the Asobal Cup last December.