“It could only be him”: Ludovic Fabregas, the new captain of the French handball team, is unanimously unanimous

He is as efficient in the game as he is discreet in life. Leader by example, with rare words but whose chosen words carry weight, Ludovic Fabregas (28 years old) has worn the captain's armband of the French handball team since the beginning of November. “A no-brainer” for his teammates who chose him to lead the Blues in this new Olympiad, starting with the 2025 World Cup where the Blues are playing the main round this week in Varazdin in Croatia.

After the failure of the 2024 Olympics (elimination in the quarter-finals by Germany 35-34) and the decision of Luka Karabatic (36 years old) to give up the armband, the choice was not difficult. “The end of the Olympiad marks the beginning of a new cycle which questions the distribution of responsibilities within the team, explains coach Guillaume Gille, whose team faces the Netherlands on Thursday January 23. The desire came for Luka to pass on the armband and this led to election time. In my opinion, captains must be representatives of the group. It is therefore the players who elected their captain for this new cycle. »

Ten years in the blue jersey

With a score that reflects the esteem and confidence they place in it. “He was elected with 100% of the votes”slides right back Dika Mem. “For us, it was the logical next step, underlines left-back Elohim Prandi, Ludo was already the deputy » of Luke (Karabatic). “It could only be him”adds Dika Mem, his teammate for five seasons at FC Barcelona before Fabregas joined Veszprem, a major Hungarian club in the summer of 2023, of which he has been captain since this season.

With 157 selections under his belt and ten years in the blue jersey, during which he won everything (World Cup 2017, Olympic Games 2020, Euro 2024), the man who grew up in Banyuls-sur-mer has carved out a fine reputation in the sticky ball world. Launched into the international deep end in June 2015 against the Czech Republic, a few weeks before turning 19, it was at full-back that he learned his skills before distinguishing himself as a pivot from World Cup 2017.

A dual function, within the attack then at the heart of the defense, which requires good physical condition. Not a problem for this beautiful baby of 1.98 m and 100 kg who absorbs these physical constraints without complaining. Of the four pivots selected by Guillaume Gille for this World Cup (with Luka Karabatic, Nicolas Tournat and Karl Konan), the Catalan is the only one.

But it is as a pivot, a thankless and energy-consuming position, where you take a lot of hits, that this player, trained at Montpellier Handball before joining FC Barcelona (2018-2023), stood out. Named best pivot of the 2020 Olympics, then of the 2021 and 2023 world championships, the one who wanted to make a career in MTB Trial but had to give up due to his size was also distinguished at Euro 2024. “There are several possible definitions of the role of captain, the leader of men, the performer on the field. For my part, I try to be as efficient as possible”quietly confides Ludovic Fabregas.

“Not a restless person on a daily basis”

In January 2024, during the Euro won by the Blues, the latter also admitted to being “discreet in the group” et “not a restless person on a daily basis”. “Ludo has always been a natural leader, on or off the field, through his calm way of speaking, asserting himself through his words and his calm, specifies center-half Nedim Remili. He's not necessarily a talker but he's definitely developed that lately. »

Nicknamed “Tchiqui” by the players of the French team, derived from “Chiquito”, the little one in Spanish, a nickname given because of his early debut in the blue tunic without going through the junior selections, Ludovic Fabregas is today a great international recognized and feared by his adversaries. “During these ten years, I learned a lot and progressed, as a player and as a man. It allows me to reach a certain maturity to assume these responsibilities”indicates the one who won three Champions League (2018 with Montpellier, 2021 and 2022 with Barcelona)

Responsibilities he never coveted. “It was never a goal”he emphasizes. But within this vengeful French team, frustrated by its poor performance at home at the 2024 Olympics, the new captain feels invested with a mission with his teammates. “We discussed the points that seem important to us, so as to get this new adventure off to a good start and, at the same time, find areas for progress, he explains. I think we can always be improving, evolving, progressing. It's also important to say certain things to each other so that we can continue to move forward together. »