Arpad Sterbik | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Arpad Sterbik Capar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Senta, SFR Yugoslavia. Now Serbia |
20 November 1979 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Spanish/Serbian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current club | RK Vardar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2001–2004 2004–2011 2011–2012 2012–2014 2014– –2001 |
RK Jugović MVM Veszprém BM Ciudad Real Atlético Madrid FC Barcelona RK Vardar |
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National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008– |
Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro Spain |
62 (0) |
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Medal record
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Arpad Sterbik Capar (Hungarian: Sterbik Árpád, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈʃtɛrbik ˈaːrpaːd]; Serbian: Арпад Штербик / Arpad Šterbik; born 20 November 1979) is a Serbian professional handball goalkeeper who plays for RK Vardar and the Spanish national team.
Born in Senta, SFR Yugoslavia (now in Serbia), Sterbik is a Serbian of Hungarian descent and holds Spanish citizenship post naturalization process. Internationally he has represented Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Spain, winning a World Championship bronze medal and one gold. On club level, he has league and cup titles both in Hungary and Spain, and most notably he won the EHF Champions League, the premier continental club competition in Europe. His performances were acknowledged several times, having been named Hungarian Handballer of the Year in 2002 and IHF World Player of the Year in 2005.
Sterbik grew up by the nearby town of Ada. He began his career by RK Jugović, and moved to Hungary to play for Fotex KC Veszprém in 2001. Sterbik, as an ethnic Hungarian, could get the Hungarian citizenship in a simplified process just after few months, thus freeing a foreign player quota (that time Hungarian teams could have 2 foreign players in their match squad). It also made him available to play for the Hungarian national team, however, he never made an international appearance for Hungary. Sterbik remained in Veszprém until 2004, during which period he won three Hungarian league and as many Hungarian cup titles. In 2002 he reached with Veszprém the EHF Champions League final, just to fell short against SC Magdeburg with an aggregate score of 48–51. In the same year he was voted Hungarian Handballer of the Year.