A Statement to Europe: Gummersbach Land Alex Dujshebaev
Alex Dujshebaev has signed a contract with German club Gummersbach. One of the biggest names in world handball, the club has been on a major upswing in recent years under head coach Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson, and the arrival of one of the planet’s best right backs is the clearest proof that their ambitions are enormous. After nine years, Dušebaev will leave Poland’s Kielce.
The all-time leading active scorer in the EHF Champions League and a former winner of the competition with Skopje’s Vardar, Dušebaev will most likely step away from Europe’s elite tournament after 13 straight seasons and choose a path that players rarely take. In the later stages of their careers, most tend to leave Germany rather than move there:
“Dujshebaev is a handball genius who has started to feel the mileage. He’s 33—playing 60 minutes both ways, attack and defense, constantly throwing his body on the line… it all comes at a price. And he’s doing the opposite of what most do: he’s going to Gummersbach. At that age, players usually escape the Bundesliga—go to Veszprém, Kielce, somewhere you play once every two weeks, maybe to warmer climates. He’s going the other way now—into the meat grinder called the Bundesliga, where you play every three days and every match matters,” said Balkan-Handball.com editor Žika Bogdanović in his comment on the transfer, adding:
“Aleks Dujshebaev at Gummersbach? That’s a statement. It says: we’re bringing in Aleks, we’re a big club. We’re one of the four most decorated clubs of all time alongside Barça, Kiel and Magdeburg—and we want to win again. It is also his “test me what I can” moment. I adore him as a player, I’d love to see it work out. How it will really look, though, will be fascinating to watch,” said the Balkan-Handball.com editor.
