Valter Matošević

Valter Matošević

Matošević with Croatia in Atlanta 1996.
Personal information
Full name	Valter Matošević
Born	11 May 1970 Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Croatian
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	94 kg
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Zamet
Number	16
Youth clubs
1984-1987	RK Zamet
Senior clubs
1986–1987 1986–1993 1993–1996 1996–2000 2000–2001 2001–2002 2002–2003 2003–2004 2004–2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011 2015	RK Zamet II RK Zamet RK Badel 1862 Zagreb RK Zamet RK Metković Jambo Bologna 69 RK Zagreb Wilhelmshavener HV RK Zagreb RK Poreč HSG Wetzlar Portland San Antonio FCK Håndbold RK Zamet TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke ThSV Eisenach
National team
1989–1991 1992–2004	Yugoslavia  Croatia	22 (0) 191 (2)
Teams managed
2010–2016 2012–present 2013-2016 2013–2016	Croatian U-19 (GK Coach) Zamet (Assistant Coach) Croatian U-21 (GK Coach) Croatia (GK Coach)
Medal record Representing  Yugoslavia Men's Handball Mediterranean Games 1991 Athens Team Competition Representing  Croatia [1] Men's Handball Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team Competition 2004 Athens Team Competition World Championship 1995 Island Team Competition 2003 Portugal Team Competition European Championship 1994 Portugal Team Competition 2016 Poland As Coach[2] Mediterranean Games 1997 Bari Team Competition 2001 Tunis Team Competition Youth World Championship 2013 Hungary As Coach

Valter Matošević (born 11 June 1970 in Rijeka, Croatia) is a former Croatian team handball player who was at the goalkeeper position. He played for professional teams in Croatia, Germany, Spain, Denmark and Italy. He is currently the goalkeeper coach at RK Zamet.

He was part of the national team for 12 years and won gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2003 World Men's Handball Championship and 2004 Summer Olympics.

Career

Matošević started his career in his hometown club RK Zamet where he competed in Yugoslav First League and Croatian First League. At a very young age he was recognized as a goalkeeper prodigy so at the age of 16 he made his debut for Zamet II.

In 1993 he left to join Badel 1862 Zagreb later Croatia Banka the Croatian handball title holders.^[3] At Zagreb Matošević had three successes, winning the league and cup while reaching the Champions League finals in 1995.

He returned to Zamet in 1996, who had just come out of the Croatian Second League, and spent four years there helping return the club to the top of Croatian handball. During this time he captained his team. Later his career took him to Metković Jambo, Bologna 69, Wilhelmshavener HV, two more spells at Zagreb, Poreč, HSG Wetzlar, Portland San Antonio and FCK Håndbold. After playing out of Croatia for a few years Matošević returned to RK Zamet in 2009 to end his career.

In December 2010 TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke called up Matošević to play for half a season due to the injury of their goalkeeper Nikola Blažičko.^[4]

In 2015. he came out of retirement again to play for ThSV Eisenach so they could get promoted to the A rank bundesliga.^[5] They finished second in the league and were promoted to the 1. bundesliga.

International career

Matošević made his first appearance for the Yugoslav national team in 1989. He competed for Yugoslavia at 1991 Mediterranean Games in Athens.

He played for the Croatian national team from 1992 till 2004.

Matošević was a member of the Croatian national team that won gold Olympic medals two times: at the 1996 Summer Olympics and at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

He played in the 1994 European Championship, 1995 World Championship, 1996 European Championship, 1997 World Championship, 1998 European Championship, 2000 European Championship 2001 World Championship, 2002 European Championship and 2003 World Championship, where Croatia was the world champion.^[6]

He also played in various friendly tournaments for Croatia such as the Croatia Cup, Elfag Cup, Paris tournament and Super League.

Matošević scored a goal against the United States in 2001. ^[7] He also scored a goal at the 2003 World Championship Qualification Tournament against Saudi Arabia.^[8]

After the 2004 Summer Olympics he went into retirement form the national team.

Coaching career

After his second retirement he started coaching the goalkeepers of Croatia U-19, RK Zamet^[9] where he is also the assistant coach and the Croatian national team.^[10] Matošević has also been a part of the RINA handball academy, coaching children in Rijeka and Kastav.^[11]

On October 31 Željko Babić, the head coach of the Croatian national team, announced that Venio Losert would be the new goalkeeper coach of the national team.^[12] Matošević responded three days later stating that Babić didn't even call him to tell him the news. He then gave the players and the team his best wishes.^[13]

Personal life

In 2016 he appeared in two documentaries, Od ponora do Olimpa and Prvi Put, which follow the events of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where Croatia won their first gold medal in handball.^[14]

Honours

Club

RK Zamet Croatian First A League Runner-up (1): 1992 Croatian Cup Finalist (1): 2000 Yugoslav Second League (1): 1986-87 RK Zagreb Croatian First League] Winner (5): 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 2002-03, 2004-05 Croatian Handball Cup Winner (5): 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2005 EHF Champions League Runner-up (1): 1995 EHF Cup Winners' Cup Finalist (1): 2005 RK Metković Croatian First League Runner-up (1): 2000-01 Croatian Handball Cup Winner (1): 2001 EHF Cup Finalist (1): 2001 FCK Håndbold Danish Handball Cup Winner(1): 2009 ThSV Eisenach 2. Bundesliga Promotion (1): 2014-15 Individual 2nd best goalkeeper at World Championship in Iceland 1995 Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport - 1996 and 2004 [15] Plack with names of Rijeka's Olympic medalists -2014 [16] RK Zamet hall of fame - 2015 [17] Records Record in Croatian national team for the number of saves in one match - 24[18] Rijeka's sportsperson with the most sports honours

Yugoslavia 1991 Mediterranean Games in Athens - 1st Croatia Major tournaments 1994 European Championship in Portugal - 3rd 1995 World Championship in Island - 2nd 1996 European Championship in Spain- 5th 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta - 1st 1997 World Championship in Japan - 13th 1998 European Championship in Italy - 8th 2000 European Championship in Croatia - 6th 2001 World Championship in France - 9th 2002 European Championship in Sweden - 16th 2003 World Championship in Portugal - 1st 2004 European Championship in Slovenia - 4th 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens - 1st Minor tournaments 1996 Stratoil World Cup - 8th 1997 Mediterranean Games in Bari - 1st 1999 Pre-Olympic Tournament - 2nd 1999 Super Cup in Germany - 2nd 2001 Mediterranean Games in Tunis - 1st 2001 Super Cup in Germany - 4th 2003 World Championship Qualification Tournament in Portugal - 1st 2003 Super Cup in Germany - 4th Friendly tournaments 1997 Paris Tournament - 1st 2000 Croatia Cup - 1st 2002 Elfag Cup - 2nd 2002 Getman Cup - 2nd Croatia U-19 2013 Youth World Championship - 2nd

Orders

• Order of Danica Hrvatska with face of Franjo Bučar - 1995^[19]

• Order of Duke Trpimir with Neck Badge and Morning Star - 1996^[20]

• Order of Duke Branimir with Necklace - 2004^[21]

References

1. "Valter Matošević hall of fame". rk-zamet.com (in Croatian).
2. "Croatia 3rd in the European Championship". voicefromcroatia.com (in Croatian).
3. "Zamet hall of fame legendary players reveal jersey's". EHF.
4. "Matošević still active now in Lubbecke". handball-planet.com.
5. "Matošević comeback". thsv-eisenach (in German).
6. "Croatia world champions". index-hr (in Croatian).
7. "Croatia's biggest victory in history!". sportnet (in Croatian).
8. "Croatia wins tournament in Visseu". index-hr (in Croatian).
9. "Matošević and Smajlagić return to Zamet". Novi list (in Croatian).
10. "Matošević again in the national team". Novi list (in Croatian).
11. "Famous Olympic player Valter Matošević". liburnija.hr (in Croatian).
12. "Željko Babić otpisao Valtera Matoševića, Tin Lučin na pripremama reprezentacije u Umagu". sportcom.hr (in Croatian).
13. "Valter Matošević postao Pedro u reprezentaciji: 'Da nije vratara, ne bismo vidjeli Rio"". Novi list (in Croatian).
14. "Dokumentarni film…". scena.hr (in Croatian).
15. "Valter Matošević two time winner of the Franjo Bulčar State Award for Sport". hrvatskareprezentacija.hr (in Croatian).
16. "OTKRIVENA PLOČA S IMENIMA RIJEČKIH OLIMPIJACA". www.rijeka.hr (in Croatian).
17. "Zamet hall of fame legendary players reveal jersey's". HRT (in Croatian).
18. "The recorder by the defense was not Filip Ivić with 21, but Matošević with 24". Večernji list (in Croatian).
19. "ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BUČARA" (in Croatian). hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.
20. "Valter Matošević biography". hoo.hr (in Croatian).
21. "PREDSJEDNIK REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE" (in Croatian). Narodne novine.

External links

• Stats
• Official Olympic reports