Mateo Garralda facts for kids

Mateo Jesús Garralda Larumbe, born on December 1, 1969, is a famous Spanish handball player who is now a coach. He used to play handball professionally and is currently the head coach for the Italian club Albatro Siracusa.

Mateo Garralda's Handball Career

Mateo Garralda started playing handball in his hometown with the club BM Burlada. He then joined BM Granollers, where he played his first professional league match. In 1991, he moved to Atlético Madrid BM for one season.

Playing for Teka Cantabria

After his time at Atlético Madrid, Mateo joined Teka Cantabria. This was a very successful period for him. With Teka Cantabria, he won many important titles. These included the Spanish Championship, the Spanish Supercup, and the EHF Champions League. He also won the EHF European League, Copa ASOBAL, IHF Super Globe, and the EHF Cup Winners' Cup.

Playing for FC Barcelona

In 1996, Mateo Garralda moved to FC Barcelona, another top club. Here, he continued his winning streak. He helped FC Barcelona win the Spanish Championship again. He also won the Spanish Supercup and the prestigious EHF Champions League with them.

Playing for Portland San Antonio

In 1999, Mateo joined Portland San Antonio. With this team, he won the EHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2000. He also helped them win the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in 2001. Portland San Antonio also won the Spanish league in 2002 and 2005 with him on the team.

Later Career and Retirement

In 2006, when he was 37 years old, Mateo joined CB Ademar León. Two years later, in 2008, he moved to Denmark to play for KIF Kolding. He won the Danish championship, Herrehåndboldligaen, with KIF Kolding in 2009. He left Kolding in 2011 and then played for BM Guadalajara for one season before he retired as a player.

Mateo Garralda is one of only five players in history to have won the EHF Champions League with three different clubs. This shows how talented and successful he was as a player.

Playing for the Spanish National Team

Mateo Garralda also played for the Spanish national team in four Olympic Games. He competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics, 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics, and 2004 Summer Olympics. At the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, his team won bronze medals.

In 2005, Mateo was part of the Spanish team that won the gold medal at the World Championship. This was the first time Spain had ever won a gold medal in this competition. He also played in the 2007 World Championship, where Spain finished in 7th place.

Mateo Garralda's Coaching Career

After retiring as a player in 2012, Mateo Garralda started his coaching career.

Coaching Clubs

His first coaching job was with BM Guadalajara, the last club he played for. He coached them from 2012 to 2014. In 2014, he moved to Romania to coach Știința Municipal Dedeman Bacău.

After coaching in Romania, he joined the Egyptian club Zamalek in 2022. In June 2023, he briefly coached the Saudi Arabian club Mudhar. Just four months later, he moved to Italy and became the head coach of Albatro Siracusa, where he is coaching today.

Coaching National Teams

From 2016 to 2022, Mateo Garralda was the coach of the Chilean national team. This was a big role, leading a national team for several years.

Mateo Garralda's Achievements

Mateo Garralda has won many titles throughout his career as a player:

• Spanish Championship:
  • Winner: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2005
• Spanish Supercup:
  • Winner: 1993, 1997, 1998
• Spanish King's Cup:
  • Winner: 1997, 1998, 2001
• Danish League:
  • Winner: 2009
• Copa ASOBAL:
  • Winner: 1995, 1996
• EHF Champions League:
  • Winner: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
• EHF Champions Trophy:
  • Winner: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000
• EHF Cup Winners' Cup:
  • Winner: 1995, 2000, 2004
• EHF Cup:
  • Winner: 1993

International Medals

• World Championship:
  • Gold Medalist: 2005
• European Championship:
  • Silver Medalist: 1996, 1998, 2006
  • Bronze Medalist: 2000
• Summer Olympics:
  • Bronze Medalist: 1996, 2000

Individual Awards and Honors

Mateo Garralda has also received special recognition for his skills:

• He was named the All-Star Right Back of the World Championship in both 1993 and 2005.
• In 2013, he received the Royal Order of Sports Merit, a special honor in Spain for athletes.

See also

In Spanish: Mateo Garralda para niños