Domagoj Duvnjak: A Legacy of Dedication and Greatness | Handball Planet
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Domagoj Duvnjak: A Legacy of Dedication and Greatness

Blog about Domagoj Duvnjak is written by Zika Bogdanovic, Balkan-Handball.com and Handball-Planet.com editor.

If this is the end, if no miracle happens, then this must be said. Domagoj Duvnjak is the epitome of sacrifice in handball. A poster of a soldier in the trenches. A career we will hardly see again anytime soon. Full throttle from start to finish. From the first to the last day, he played everything, supported everyone, wanted it all, and was an example to all. Always, now, and forever, he has been glorified as the good guy from Đakovo. A character straight out of a comic book or animated film, with unruly hair and sharp facial features. A star, yet not a star, an example of how things should and must be done. Both modern and old-fashioned, a man of manners but not weakness, humble but not soft, a person with a unique energy that disarms and warms everyone around the fire burning within him.

It sounds crazy that muscle tears—sudden, out of nowhere—could prevent you from attacking the podium in your homeland with your national team twice and writing history. It sounds pointless. Utterly pointless, like saying, “What did I do to deserve this?” Seven years ago, Split at Men’s EHF EURO 2018. Today, Zagreb. Back then, it didn’t matter—Serbia was already far behind, the game decided, the match over. We can only speculate whether it’s in the mind, the stress, the overload, or the overwhelming desire for him, who leaned on the golden generation and spent many years with them, becoming an integral part and torchbearer for the future, to finally claim his moment of glory. Even though it’s not realistic for today’s Croatia, a man has the right to believe. The best way to put it is that “it wasn’t meant to be.” If it wasn’t meant to be, then it’s easier to accept. This disappointment will linger, but what remains is a vast, monumental career and the message he sent.

He gave everything he had—far more than many think they can give, claiming that they’ve reached their maximum. To give everything, to go selflessly all out, is often unthinkable for the new generations. That’s the only way Domagoj Duvnjak knew and could. And that’s why, one day, he won’t have anything to regret. He put everything on the table for 19 years. Many start looking for shortcuts after just five when they receive a call for a national team action that, in their opinion, isn’t very important. Rarely does anyone “shoulder the burden of destiny and go wherever needed.”

He was great in both victory and defeat. Coaches and selectors saved and protected him, knowing his value. He, in turn, protected them, even when his frustration was visible, respecting every person’s place in the team. From a wunderkind destined to continue where Balić and Lacković left off, to this summer’s critiques about his age, he endured long enough to experience it all—even the Vox Populi.

With Duvnjak, an era of Croatian handball departs forever. A time comes to an end.

And Dule remains Dule. One of the greatest of all time from these parts. One of the longest-lasting. Loved and respected. Admired. Croatia has had many great players, but rarely has anyone been so unanimously beloved without a “but” in the third, seventh, or tenth sentence.

With many medals around his neck.

What more could you ask for in life?

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