Fertiberia sign Argentina captain Gonzalo Carou

BM Puerto Sagunto announce the signing of Argentine pivot and captain of his country’s senior national team Gonzalo Carou. The pivot, who played for Ademar León last season, was one of Manolo Cadenas’s key defensive players and has been nominated by the Asobal League as the season’s best defender. Carou will be a key part of the club’s 2020–21 project and of the wall Nogués wants to build in the red-and-white goal.

In addition to the red-and-white club’s 2020–21 project, Carou will be Gonzalo Matías Carou Marcel (Buenos Aires, 15 August   1979) and has also enjoyed a long international career. He took part in the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and wants to arrive in top form for the 2021 Games in Tokyo. He played at the World Championships in France 2001, Portugal 2003, Tunisia 2005, Germany 2007, Croatia 2009, Sweden 2011, Spain 2013, Qatar 2015 and France 2017. At the start of Denmark 2019, Gonzalo became the only player in handball history to compete in 10 editions of the World Championship, all consecutively, setting an impressive record in the history of the sport. In 2012 he was declared an Outstanding Sports Personality of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

Red-and-white coach Vicent Nogués says of the new signing that ‘We are very pleased with the signing of Gonzalo Carou. I think he can be a defensive leader for the team this year. He is a player with extensive international experience and can help us develop our young players and try to make our defence much more solid this season. On the other hand, in attack he can help Pozzer a great deal in offensive pivot duties. It is a great signing, a great decision, and we are very pleased to have him join the team.’

Regarding his signing for the red-and-white club, Gonzalo Carou says that ‘Leo Querín called me and told me about the possibility of signing for Puerto Sagunto because they needed a player with my characteristics, and I really liked the idea. The Valencian Community is a place that my wife, my children and I like very much. The idea was to move for just one year to arrive in good shape for the Olympic Games, and then you are called to a place you like, where I have a great friend, Leo, who has always spoken very highly of the club. In addition, the times I went to play there with Ademar León, I felt very comfortable; they always treated us brilliantly. Obviously, the objectives are different, but that does not bother me. I think that next season, with the team being assembled, we can be competitive and avoid suffering in the relegation battle. I see a good squad, and hopefully we can do better than expected of us and fight to finish as high as possible, playing with the calm that a team with experienced players provides.’

‘Bruixola’s departure is a very important loss for the club. The club have now opted for younger people, and hopefully we can help them have a great season. This year we have to fight in every match to forget about relegation as soon as possible and then see what we can do,’ the Argentine pivot adds regarding Bruixola’s departure and the blend of youth and experience in the team.

‘The quarantine and the pandemic changed everyone’s lives. I followed Ademar León’s routines for the first few weeks, then I continued training on my own. The quarantine was lifted a little earlier here, so I was able to go out running, meet up with a teammate and do work with dumbbells and a medicine ball, so I could train as well as possible during this situation,’ Carou says regarding the work he continued doing during the State of Alarm declared because of COVID19.

‘For me, it will be a joy to play at the Ovni. It has one of the best fan bases in the Asobal League, and there are always lots of people in the pavilion cheering throughout the match. For my part, I promise to give everything on court, as I have always done, and I hope to win over the supporters and enjoy this year with all of them,’ Carou concludes.

Gonzalo Carou’s signing follows the renewals of Pozzer, Mirallave, Dija, Leo, Óscar and Camacho, and the signings of Franzini and Pau in goal. For the time being, it has also been confirmed that Alex Tello, Jaka and Marcos Dorado will not be renewed, in addition to goalkeeper David Bruixola’s retirement from the court.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.