Between Nikola Karabatic, the dean of the French handball team, and Thibaud Briet, the youngest of the group, fifteen years apart. In 2002, when the left-back of Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG) made his debut in blue, at 18, that of HBC Nantes was not 2 years old. In two decades, this extraordinary player has built the most beautiful record of French handball, tied with that of Thierry Omeyer, the goalkeeper of the Experts (nickname given to the Blues from the period 2008-2017), who retired in 2019: ten gold medals, including three at the Olympic Games, four in the world championship and three in the European championship.
Such a player necessarily inspires respect. In particular to the young Blues who are taking part in their first major international meeting. In the group present at Euro 2022, which is about to face the Netherlands on Thursday January 20 in Budapest (Hungary), there are seven in this case. Nantes’ Aymeric Minne, 24, is one of them. “To experience such a competition with Nikola is great. I saw him on TV when I was very young. He is a simple person, who speaks little, but he has a special aura. When I started, he came to tell me not to worry, that he was sure I was going to have a good match, that galvanized me! », says the center half.
However, playing alongside a legend can be a source of stress. “I try not to think about it too much because it might inhibit me,” says Thibaud Briet, who scored his first two goals against Ukraine in blue. The Nantes left-back won’t soon forget their first meeting: ” VSt was two years ago during a Nantes-PSG, I had such a ball in my stomach that I completely missed my match. »
For winger Dylan Nahi (22), who worked alongside Nikola Karabatic for four years at PSG before joining Polish club Kielce, it’s “a pleasure to evolve alongside him”. “I look at him with a lot of respect, he is a model”, he insists. “When he came back from his injury, he told us he didn’t want to take someone else’s place. He worked hard to come back, harder than the others. That says a lot about his humility.” completes the pivot Nicolas Tournat (27 years old).
If since a rupture of the cruciate ligaments, in October 2020, Nikola Karabatic scares the opposing defenses a little less and is no longer as decisive, the one who was voted best player in the world three times (2007, 2014 and 2016) remains an essential cog of the Blues. “His presence brings serenity, notes Jérôme Fernandez, the ex-captain of the Experts. As long as Nikola is there, the young people have less pressure, they must take advantage of it to free themselves. »
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