Daniel Costantini (born 31 October 1943) is a French former

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the best handball coaches of all time. In 1995, he led the French national team to their first ever gold medal, when he won the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

as the head coach. In 2001, he was made a knight of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. On April 30, 2023, he was inducted into the French national team Hall of Fame.

Playing career

At the age of 16 he joined Stade Marseillais Université Club where he won the 1962 French Junior championship. After breaking through on the first team he won the 1965, 1967, and 1969 French championship. Between 1965 and 1968, he played 6 matches for the French national team. After he injured his cruciate ligament in 1966, the doctors accidentally removed his meniscus. This made him miss the 1967 World Championship, and over time the persistent knee pain would cause his early retirement at age 29.

Coaching career

After retiring at the age of 29 in 1973 he became a coach at Stade Marseillais Université Club. Here he won the French championship in 1975 and 1985 and the

French Cup The Coupe de France (), also known in English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is ...

in 1976. In 1985 he became the head could of the French national team. At the 1987

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fi ...

he won silvermedals. AFterwards he started calling up the younger generation including, Philippe Gardent, Pascal Mahé and

Frédéric Volle Frédéric Volle (born 4 February 1966 in Montpellier) is a French former handball player. He was part of the French national team that won the 1995 World Championship, beating Croatia in the final. He also competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics ...

, which over time became a dominant in international handball. At the B-World Championship in 1989 he and the French team finished 5th, which qualified them for the 1990 World Championship. Through a 9th place, he qualified France for the

1992 Olympics 1992 Olympics may refer to: *1992 Summer Olympics, which were held in Barcelona, Spain *1992 Winter Olympics The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provença ...

. In Barcelona, he won bronze medals with the French team, lead by a 21 year old

Jackson Richardson Jackson Richardson (born 14 June 1969) is a French former handball player. Regarded as one of the best and most influential handball players of his era, Richardson won fourteen titles at club level and the World Championship in 1995 and 2001 wit ...

. This was the first ever French medal at a major international tournament. In 1993 he won silver medals at the 1993 World Championship, losing to Russia in the final. In 1995 he won France's first ever gold medal at a major international tournament, when he won the 1995 World Championship. Two years later he won bronze medals at the 1997 World Championship. Once again he was noted for integreting a group of young players including the brothers

Guillaume Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname), the French equivalent of Williams Places * Guillaume (crater), Moon, Earth-Moon System, Solar System * Guillaumes, Vence, Nice, Alpes ...

and Bertrand Gille. At the 2001 World Championship at home, he one his second World Championship gold medal, before retiring. He was replaced by Claude Onesta. At the end of his tenure, France had cemented its place as one of the best national teams in the world. At a poll hosted by the

International Handball Federation The International Handball Federation (IHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball. IHF is responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the IHF World Men's Handball C ...

in 2010, Costantini was selected as the 'Best Coach of All time' with 87.8% of the votes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantini, Daniel 1943 births Living people French male handball players French handball coaches 20th-century French sportsmen Handball coaches of international teams