This quartet makes for the exact same line-up as for the EHF FINAL4 seven years ago. Back in 2015, Barça were crowned champions. Did you also know that all four head coaches have won the EHF Champions League in their playing career? Or that six multiple EHF Champions League winners are part of the various squads?
Here are the facts and figures on the eve of the EHF FINAL4 2022 draw:
0 teams have won the EHF FINAL4 two times in a row since its inauguration in 2010; Barça can become the first to do so in 2022.
1 goal was the smallest aggregate winning margin in the quarter-finals: Kiel vs PSG 63:62.
1 EHF FINAL4 – in 2018 – was played with neither a German nor a Spanish team; this season Kiel and Barça have qualified.
1 former CL top scorer is still part of the competition: Alex Dujshebaev (Kielce, top scorer in 2018/19); Kiel coach Filip Jicha (2008/09 and 2009/10) and Veszprém coach Momir Ilic (2013/14, 2014/15) were also CL top scorers in the past.
1 team only from the EHF FINAL4 2021 is returning to Cologne this year: Barça. Aalborg and PSG lost in the quarter-finals, Nantes played in the EHF European League this season.
2 teams won both their quarter-final matches: Barça (against Flensburg) and Kielce (against Montpellier).
2 former CL winners lost in the quarter-finals: Montpellier (2003, 2018) and Flensburg (2014).
2 Spanish coaches are part of the EHF FINAL4: Talant Dujshebaev (Kielce) and Carlos Ortega (Barça).
2 Barça players can win the CL for a fourth time: Aitor Arino and Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas.
2 sons of CL-winning fathers have won the trophy in Cologne: Alex Dujshebaev with Vardar in 2017 and Melvyn Richardson with Montpellier in 2018; both play at the EHF FINAL4 2022 – Dujshebaev with Kielce – coached by his father, Talant – and Richardson with Barça.
3 teams at the EHF FINAL4 have combined won 14 trophies: Barça (9), Kiel (4), and Kielce (1).
3 times, both Kiel (2010, 2012, 2020) and Barça (2011, 2015, 2021) have won the trophy at the EHF FINAL4.
3 of the four EHF FINAL4 participants finished in the top two of their group and skipped the play-offs: Kielce, Barça and Kiel; Veszprém came through the play-offs before beating Aalborg in the quarter-finals.
3 men have won the CL as player and as coach: Talant Dujshebaev, Roberto Parrondo, and Filip JIcha; Dujshebaev and Jicha can win again this year.
4 (all) teams (which means: all) at the EHF FINAL4 2022 also played at EHF FINAL4 2015 in Cologne; Barça won the title seven years ago.
4 times only in 13 seasons, the titleholders have qualified again for the EHF FINAL4 the following season: Barça in 2012 and again in 2022, Kiel in 2013, and Vardar in 2018.
4 (all) head coaches at the EHF FINAL4 have won the CL as a player: Carlos Ortega (Barça/six times with Barça), Talant Dujshebaev (Kielce/with Santander), Momir Ilic (Veszprém/two times with Kiel), and Filip Jicha (Kiel/two times with Kiel); Ilic and Jicha won their titles as teammates in 2010 and 2012.
4 group matches had a winning margin of 10 or more goals; no play-off or quarter-final matches had such margin.
6 countries are represented by the 28 CL winners so far: Spain (15 titles), Germany (7), France, North Macedonia (2 each), Poland and Slovenia (1 each).
7 multiple CL winners are part of the EHF FINAL4 2022: Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, Aitor Arino, Ludovic Fabregas, Luka Cindric (all Barça), Igor Karacic (Kielce), Domagoj Duvnjak and Steffen Weinhold (both Kiel); also coaches Carlos Ortega (Barça), Momir Ilic (Veszprém), and Filip Jicha (Kiel) are multiple winners as players.
7 different clubs have won the 12 EHF FINAL4 editions so far: Barça and Kiel (3 times each), Vardar (2), Hamburg, Flensburg, Kielce, and Montpellier (1 each).
8 goals were the biggest winning margin in a quarter-final match: Kielce vs Montpellier 30:22.
9 titles (1995-2000, 2011, 2015, 2021) make Barça the record CL winners.
9 different Spanish coaches have won a total of 18 CL titles: Valero Rivera (5 titles), Talant Dujshebaev (4), Xavi Pascual (3), Javier Cuesta, Julian Ruiz, Francisco Equisoain, Francesc Espar, Raul Gonzalez, and Roberto Parrondo (1 each).
10 times in 13 edition (including 2022) Barça have qualified for the EHF FINAL 4; Kiel have been part eight times, Veszprém seven, and Kielce four.
11 goals marked the biggest aggregate winning margin in the quarter-finals: Kielce vs Montpellier ended 61:50.
13 goals in the 2021 final Barcelona vs Aalborg (36:23) was the biggest margin in all 24 matches played in EHF FINAL4 history.
15 times a team from Spain has won the CL: Barça (9 times), Ciudad Real (3), Santander, Irun, and Portland (1 each).
16 matches so far this CL season ended in a draw: 12 in the group phase, 3 in the play-offs, 1 in the quarter-finals (PSG vs Kiel 30:30).
18 matches were played by Veszprém to reach the EHF FINAL4; the other three teams have played 16 matches each since they skipped the play-offs.
22 times, including the 2021/22 season, Kiel and Barcelona have played the CL quarter-finals; Veszprém played their 20th quarter-final; Kielce their fifth.
33 matches this CL season were won by the visiting team, including two in the quarter-finals: Flensburg vs Barça 29:33 and Montpellier vs Kielce 28:31.
+58 is Barça’s leading goal difference after 16 matches, ahead of Kielce (+45), Veszprém (+39), and Kiel (+33).
63 matches this CL season, including five in the play-offs and five in the quarter-finals, ended with 60 or more goals scored.
74 matches this CL season were won by the home team, including four in the play-offs and five in the quarter-finals.
72 was the highest number of goals in a quarter-final match: Aalborg vs Veszprém 37:35.
90 goals make Barça’s right back Dika Mem the top scorer of the current CL season, ahead of Felix Claar (Aalborg/88 goals) and Kamil Syprzak (PSG/86 goals) – who are both out of the competition.
486 goals were scored in the eight quarter-final matches – eight more than in the play-offs.
2,814 goals were scored in the 12 EHF FINAL4 events since 2010.
7,372 goals have been scored so far this CL season, including 6,408 in the group phase and 478 in the play-offs.
Stats for the four EHF FINAL 4 2022 participants:
- Kielce: 16 matches, 12 wins, 0 draws, 4 defeats; 510:465 goals – difference +45
- Barça: 16 matches, 11 wins, 2 draws, 3 defeats; 480:422 goals – difference +58
- Kiel: 16 matches, 11 wins, 2 draws, 3 defeats; 490:457 goals – difference +33
- Veszprém: 18 matches, 10 victories, 2 draws, 6 defeats; 581:542 goals – difference +39
Lists of the EHF Champions League 2021/22 season:
Most goals:
79 – Veszprém vs Bucharest 47:32 (GP), PSG vs Veszprém 39:40 (GP)
72 – Aalborg vs Veszprém 37:35 (QF)
72 – PSG vs Motor 40:32 (GP), Kielce vs Porto 39:32 (GP)
71 – Szeged vs Flensburg (PO), PSG vs Dinamo 41:30 (GP), Kielce vs PSG 38:33 (GP)
Fewest goals:
39 – Vardar vs Zagreb 20:19 (GP)
45 – Zagreb vs Vardar 23:22 (GP)
46 – Flensburg vs Szeged 25:21 (PO), Flensburg vs Barca 21:25 (GP)
48 – Dinamo vs Flensburg 20:28 (GP
…
51 – Barça vs Flensburg 27:24 (QF)
Biggest winning margin:
+15 goals – Veszprem vs Dinamo 47:32 (GP)
+14 goals – PSG vs Porto 33:19 (GP)
+11 goals – PSG vs Dinamo 41:30 (GP)
+10 goals – Zagreb vs Aalborg 24:34 (GP)
…
+ 8 goals – Kielce vs Montpellier 30:22 (QF)
Top scorers:
90 goals – Dika Mem (Barça)
88 goals – Felix Claar (Aalborg)
86 goals – Kamil Syprzak (PSG)
85 goals – Petar Nenadic (Veszprém)
82 goals – Aleix Gomez (Barça)
Top scorers still in competition:
90 goals – Dika Mem (Barça)
85 goals – Petar Nenadic (Veszprém)
82 goals – Aleix Gomez (Barça)
79 goals – Gasper Marguc (Veszprém)
71 goals – Fathy Omar (Veszprém)