He grew up in Austria, dreaming of a red-and-white jersey that once felt almost mythical. Today, Ivan Martinović carries that same jersey as captain of Croatia.
“I would never believe that I could one day be captain of the team – it’s an honour, unbelievable for me,” says Ivan Martinović to GoHandball.
For Ivan Martinović, Croatian handball was never just a sport – it was a feeling. As a child in Vienna, he watched from afar as Croatia’s golden generation lit up home championships and inspired a nation.
“When I was a kid, I was watching the Balić generation,” Martinović recalls. “It was 2009 when they played at home. I got goosebumps when I saw them playing, and that was the moment I felt I also wanted to experience that atmosphere and that handball.”
At 15, what once felt imagined suddenly became real. A summer camp invitation marked the beginning of a journey he could never have predicted would lead to the captaincy of the senior national team.
“I decided I wanted to try with Croatia,” he says. “It was a really long journey until today, and I would never believe I could one day be captain of the team. It’s an honour. I’m really thankful and happy.”
Parents left Croatia during the Balkan wars
Martinović’s identity has always lived in two places. Austria is where he grew up, where his family lives, and where he still calls home. Croatia, however, is where his sporting heart belongs.
“When I say I am going home, it’s Vienna,” he explains. “Because I lived there, my family lives there. Croatia is my heart in sport. One part this, one part that.”
Both of his parents are Croatian, having moved to Austria during the Balkan wars. He grew up alongside an older brother and two younger sisters – a family background shaped by displacement, resilience, and strong roots.
His early steps with the Croatian national team were anything but straightforward. In fact, his first opportunity almost never came.
“At youth level, I was really nervous,” Martinović says. “The first time they invited 40 players to the camp, I was not inside.”
It took a conversation between his father and a coach, and a few phone calls, before he was added as the 41st player. From that moment on, he never took a single opportunity for granted.
“So it started like that,” he says. “I’m thankful for every game, every chance. I love to play with all these guys – every game is a pleasure for me.”
“I am captain now”
That gratitude only deepened when he learned he would become team captain. The news came from Domagoj Duvnjak, a legend of Croatian handball and one of Martinović’s personal idols.
“It was Dule who told me,” he says. “A shock for me. He’s my idol, and now a really good friend. Crazy story, and hard to describe.”
Taking over the armband carries both pride and responsibility.
“It’s a big honour and pleasure to be the leader of the team,” Martinović adds. “I want to continue his legacy and try my best like him. If I am 50 percent of him as a captain, I will be happy.”
Off the national stage, Martinović is navigating a new chapter in Hungary, playing Champions League handball after several club changes in Germany.
“It’s a big difference,” he explains. “I changed four clubs in Germany, and now I changed country and team to play in the Champions League.”
Aiming for medals once again
With the pressure of Champions League debut came self-doubt, but also growth, helped by his teammates and head coach Xavi Pascual.
“After a couple of months it became easier,” he says. “The team really helped me. Xavi is one of the best coaches in the world, it’s unbelievable what he knows about handball and how he prepares us.”
After winning silver last year, Croatia now enters a new era, without several long-time leaders. But Martinović believes the foundation remains strong.
“A medal would be great,” he says. “Now it’s different without legends like Dule, Karačić, and Pešić, but we need to show character. We need to believe. A new era has started – and it’s not a coincidence we won a medal last year.”
From goosebumps in Vienna to leading Croatia on the biggest stage, Ivan Martinović’s journey is no longer imagined – it’s very real.