But on Thursday night in the LANXESS arena, Nikola Karabatic already beat an incredible record, becoming the all-time Men’s EHF EURO best scorer, with 289 goals (Romania's Cristina Neagu has scored 303 in the women’s championship).
And if the French legend was not putting too much pressure on his own shoulders, he revealed after the game that someone else has.
“My mum called me a couple of days ago and kept repeating to me: ‘You have to score eight ‘,” he said after the game. “So I tried to explain to her that I also did other things on the court, like delivering assists for example. But she kept telling me that I had to score eight. I’m sure she’s even happier than I am tonight.”
Not only was Lala Karabatic very enthusiastic about his elder son becoming even more a EHF EURO legend, but she also came to Cologne to witness her son beat the record.
“She was in the stands, as well as my partner and my kids. It’s great that all my family was able to witness that moment,” said Karabatic.
And asked whether he thought about celebrating his entrance to the EHF EURO pantheon, his answer was pretty clear: “In handball, you have no time to do it. I did not think about it, I just thought about running back as fast as I could so that Croatia would not score an easy goal.”
While Nikola Karabatic knew before the start of the EHF EURO that this would be his last European championship, the three-time winner admits that the prospect of ending his career has made him think differently about the way he has approached the tournament.
“All my career I have been chasing records and titles but I think a little bit different now. I’m more thinking about enjoying those games and those moments, because I know they are not going to last forever” he explains.
In the end, Karabatic scored five goals in Cologne against Croatia, after the four that he netted against Germany on Sunday, and is now ahead of Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson, with who he played in Barça and Paris Saint-Germain.
“I won’t say I’m not happy to lead the all-time record and to be in front of one of my dearest friends Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson, but I know that Mikkel Hansen might overtake me anyway,” he said as the battle between him and the Danish player rages. Hansen, at this stage, needs 13 goals to match Karabatic's new record.
“I think my mum is really happy about it, even though I told her handball is about winning and not individuals," Karabatic added.
If he does not seem to be too fussed about the record, his brother Luka is very enthusiastic.
“That’s Nikola in a nutshell, with all his humility. But he is an incredible player, and I don’t say that just because he is my brother,” says the French line player.
“Tonight, Niko did what Niko does. He showed us the way to the victory in a very tight game. He was a real leader, both on and off the court.”
