The French handball team has a new master on board. Ludovic Fabregas, the pivot of Veszprem in Hungary, is the new captain of the Blues. He replaces, at his request, Luka Karabatic who had held the position for two years almost to the day. “I discussed it with “Gino” (coach Guillaume Gille). It was a desire on my part: the French team is entering a new four-year cycle, and four years is a long time, I can’t project myself that far, I think it’s a good thing to ‘anticipate. I am happy that it is Ludo who succeeds me,” explains the PSG player.
The French team is meeting this week for its first match since the failure of the Olympics and the elimination in the quarter-final against Germany. At the same time, she begins a new cycle which should take her to Los Angeles in 2028. Whoever remains the captain of PSG did not see himself going that far.
“It’s a real chance and a source of pride”
“It seemed quite unlikely or quite unrealistic to him to imagine that he could be part of the duration of this cycle which takes us to Los Angeles and the 2029 World Cup (which France will organize with Germany). There was the desire for Luka to pass on the armband and I thank him for everything he has done with it for two years,” admits Guillaume Gille.
If Ludovic Fabregas is promoted, it is thanks to a vote by the players. They alone decided the name of their future ambassador. The former Barcelona player had already freelanced in the role last spring in the absence of the youngest of the Karabatic siblings. He puts on the costume of 150 selections and ten years of presence with the Blues.
With them, Ludovic Fabregas won everything: the World Cup (2017), the Euro (2024) and the Olympics (2021). “It’s a real chance and a source of pride, I hope to fulfill this mission as best as possible. The task is not necessarily simple, the responsibility is all the more important given the situation in which we find ourselves. It’s a very exciting challenge from a personal and collective point of view. For now, I am enjoying this honor. I will see later, depending on the circumstances, how I will get involved in the role. » The Veszprem player will inaugurate his new role this Wednesday in Orléans against Sweden.
