Nikola Prce
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Nikola Prce (born 31 August 1980) is a Bosnian
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 for
KH BESA FamGas KH Besa Famgas is a team handball club from Peja in western Kosovo. KH BESA Famgas competes in the Kosovar Superliga and Cup, and it is one of the most famous handball clubs with traditional titles and champions. History KH Besa Famgas was ...
and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He is one of the best handball players and leader of a young generation of players in
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national handball team The Bosnia and Herzegovina national handball team represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in international handball matches. Competitive record World Championship European Championship Team Current squad Squad for the 2024 European Men's Handba ...
. Prce was honoured as Bosnia and Herzegovina "Sportsman of the Year" for 2014. "As a child I practiced everything, football, basketball, and a bit of tennis. Then, handball section was founded in high school, so I decided to try it. We traveled all over Herzegovina and played matches with peers from other schools. It was very interesting and attracted me. I practiced basketball for a while, but in the end, those trips and socializing prevailed to the side of handball and I was not wrong", says Prce. Nikola debuted for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 5, 2006, in the WC 2007 qualification match against the Netherlands. In 114 games played for the national team Prce scored 434 goals, which makes him the best scorer ever.


Club career

Prce played for 16 different clubs, including: Čapljina (1994/97),
RK Zagreb Rukometni klub Zagreb (, ) is a men's professional handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. It competes in the Croatian Premier League and the EHF Champions League. RK Zagreb has won 38 national championships and the national cup 32 times. The c ...
, (1997/98), HRK Karlovac (1998/99), RK Metković Jambo (1999/00), Izviđač (2000/01),
RK Zagreb Rukometni klub Zagreb (, ) is a men's professional handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. It competes in the Croatian Premier League and the EHF Champions League. RK Zagreb has won 38 national championships and the national cup 32 times. The c ...
(2001/02),
CB Torrevieja Club Balonmano Torrevieja was a handball club based in Torrevieja, Valencian Community. CB Torrevieja played in the Liga ASOBAL until the 2011/2012 season, after which it disbanded due to financial problems. History Club Balonmano Torrevieja was ...
(2002/03),
RK Trimo Trebnje Rokometni klub Trimo Trebnje (), commonly referred to as Trimo Trebnje, is a Slovenian handball club from Trebnje which competes in the Slovenian First League. Honours *Slovenian Championship The Slovenian Hockey League () or the National ...
(2003/04), Izviđač (2004/06), Bregenz Handball (2006/07), Octavio Vigo (2007/09),
Ademar Leon Ademar is a masculine Germanic name, ultimately derived from ''Audamar'', as is the German form Otmar. It was in use in medieval France, Latinized as ''Adamarus'' or ''Ademarus'', and in modern times has been popular in French, Spanish and Portug ...
(2009/10),
BM Puerto Sagunto Club Balonmano Puerto Sagunto is a Team handball, handball club based in Sagunto, Valencian Community. Puerto Sagunto was founded in 1951 and has played in Liga ASOBAL since the Liga ASOBAL 2012–13, 2012–13 season despite its finish as the bo ...
(2010/11),
CB Ciudad de Logroño CB Ciudad de Logroño is a team of handball based in Logroño, Spain. It plays in Liga ASOBAL. History The club was founded in 2003. Since 2006, it has been playing in the Spanish first division, the Liga ASOBAL. In the 2008/09 season, the t ...
(2011/12), Al Saad (2012/2013) and
Pick Szeged Pick may refer to: Places * Pick City, North Dakota, a town in the United States * Pick Lake (Cochrane District, Ontario), a lake in Canada * Pick Lake (Thunder Bay District), a lake in Canada * Pick Mere, a lake in Pickmere, England People ...
. In the 2008–09 season, as a member of Octavio Vigo, he ended the season as the third best goal scorer of
Liga ASOBAL Liga Asobal is the premier professional handball league in Spain. It was founded in 1958 with the name of División de Honor, changing its name to the current name in 1990. The Liga ASOBAL, which is played under EHF rules, currently consists of ...
, with 181 goals. He won the
EHF Cup The EHF European League is an annual men's handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF) since 1981. It is the second-tier competition of European club handball, ranking only below the EHF Champions League. Previo ...
in the 2013–14 season with Pick Szeged. Prce began his rich handball career as a teenager in his native Čapljina. He says that the start was like a dream, but then steadily throughout his career has had its ups and downs, sometime because of his iniquity, and some because he listened to the advice of various people around him. After a great debut season in his native Čapljina, as a 16-year-old boy, Prce signed for RK Zagreb in 1996, one of the biggest clubs in the region. During the first season, although teenager, he recorded good performances and acquire the necessary experience by training with the first team along with regular education. Soon after he received an invitation for the U-17 Croatian national team. After one season in the Zagreb he went on loan to Karlovac, and then accept the offer of another Croatian first league member - Metkovic. Then he returns to his Herzegovina RK Izviđač from Ljubuski where, after one and a half season and qualifying matches for the EHF Champions League, was suspended in order to incorrect registration of the club. After a one-year suspension, he returned to Zagreb, and a year later he began his international career by going to the Spanish Torrevieja. After Torrevieja he goes to Slovenian Trimo, and then came back to Izviđač, where he spent two great seasons. Through the group stage of the EHF Champions League, they reached the EHF Cup and then the semi-final of the same competition. The turning point in his career was signing for Austrian Bregenz where he made a lot of progress with Dagur Sigurdson, the present coach of Germany national team and Berlin's coach. After the Austrian episode Prce returned to Spain. However, Prce says that most beautiful part of his career was in Puerto Sagunto and Spain cited as another country where he could live. "Spain is by far the most. It is a country where I could spend my life. Of course, after my California, as we like to call Herzegovina. Spaniards are temperamental people, especially in the south. They have a similar mentality as we really enjoyed it when I played there. In every club where I played we hung out, not only during the club's obligations, but also personally.Spaniards are very welcoming and friendly" says Prce. Zenith of his playing career he reached in late gaming years. With 34, after brief episodes in Lebanon and then in Germany where he played for Emsdetten, it seemed that the career is nearing an end. However, arriving fantastic performances for the national team in the January cycle, a month later came the offer from Pick Szeged, where did well thanks to coach Juan Carlos Pastor and teammates. He played phenomenal half-season and won the EHF Cup, the first European trophy in the club 's history . About 20,000 citizens of gave an unprecedented reception at square in Szeged.


International career

Prce debuted for
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national handball team The Bosnia and Herzegovina national handball team represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in international handball matches. Competitive record World Championship European Championship Team Current squad Squad for the 2024 European Men's Handba ...
in qualifications for the 2006 European Handball Championship. In 112 games played for the national team Prce scored 428 goals, making him one of the most effective team members ever.
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
qualified for their first major tournament after they eliminated Iceland in two play-off matches for the
2015 World Men's Handball Championship The 2015 World Men's Handball Championship was the 24th staging of the IHF World Men's Handball Championship, World Men's Handball Championship, organised by the International Handball Federation (IHF). The final tournament was held for the first ...
. Prce was a key a figure with a total of 18 goals in two games. Because of that, he was honoured as Bosnian "Sportsman of the Year" for 2014.Izabrani najbolji sportisti za 2014. godinu: Prce i Cerićeva vladari bh. sporta
/ref> Upon receipt of this prestigious award, team captain said: " The dream of every athlete is to be the best in their country. Few people can expect to them to happen during career, and I got lucky . This is probably the greatest achievement in my career, maybe in life". In the qualifications for the Euro 2020, Prce was once again a key player. With 32 goals scored Nikola was the most effective player of his team. He was particularly brilliant in the decisive match against the Czech Republic when he, with 10 goals, led his team to the historic placement in the European Championship.


Honours

*
EHF Cup The EHF European League is an annual men's handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF) since 1981. It is the second-tier competition of European club handball, ranking only below the EHF Champions League. Previo ...
: ** Winners (1) : 2014 *
Handball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Handball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top handball league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The league is operated by the Handball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is composed of 16 teams. The champion is seeded into the EH ...
: ** Winners (3): 2001, 2004, 2005 *
Handball Cup of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Handball Cup of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the national handball cup of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is organized for men and women and run by the Handball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before 2001/2002 season, there were three separated c ...
: ** Winners (1): 2001 *
Croatian Handball Premier League The Croatian Handball Premier League () is the highest men's handball league in Croatia. It is organized by the Croatian Handball Federation (''Hrvatski rukometni savez''). The league comprises 16 teams. The league was formed in 1991 with the di ...
: ** Winners (1): 2002 *
Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...
: ** Winners (1): 2013 * Kosovar Handball Superliga: ** Winners (4): 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 * Kosovo Cup : ** Winners (3): 2020, 2021, 2022 * Austrian Championship : ** Winners (1): 2007 *
Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball) The Nemzeti Bajnokság I (, commonly abbreviated NB I) is the premier men's professional handball league in Hungary, administered by the Hungarian Handball Federation. Since 2016 the official name of the championship is ''K&H Férfi Kézilabda L ...
: ** Runners-up (1): 2014 *
Magyar Kupa (men's handball) Magyar Kupa (English: Hungarian Cup) is the main domestic cup for Hungarian men's team handball clubs, which is organized and supervised by the Hungarian Handball Federation. The competition is held annually, starting in September and concluding in ...
: ** Runners-up (1): 2014 *
Emir of Qatar Cup Emir of Qatar Cup (), also known as the Emir Cup, but changed to Amir Cup starting in 2019, is an association football tournament played every season by all first and second division teams in Qatar. The tournament is played in a knockout system, ...
: ** Runners-up (1): 2013 *
Qatar Cup The Qatar Cup (formerly known as Qatar Crown Prince Cup) is a tournament in men's football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), go ...
: ** Runners-up (1): 2013 *
Polish Superliga (men's handball) The Polish Superliga, officially known as the Orlen Superliga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is the top men's handball league in Poland. It is currently a 14 teams league, played from September to May. The competition was founded in 1956 under ...
: ** Third place (4): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 * Cup of Poland : ** Runners-up (1): 2018


Personal life

His father, Karlo Prce died in a car accident in 1988 and was a civil engineer and manager of a hotel. His mother Draga Prce was a cook. His sister Karolina is chief of operations in an insurance company. In July 2017 he married his longtime girlfriend, Nikolina Kovačić, Croatian volleyball player, who played in various international clubs and for the Croatian national team. Support of his family means a lot to him because they are always with him either in the best, but also during the most difficult moments. "As much as you need the work and perseverance, so you need to have the luck to find the right time in the right place. At least such is my experience. I had a funny way, caused by my faults but under the influence of others also. From an excellent start of my career, through suspension, incredible adventure and a set of circumstances at my age 35, I came to the summit of my career. My advice to young people is that they do not accept everyone's opinion, self-taught coach or manager. You need to do and believe in yourself. In every sport, there are plenty of people who are not professionals and can make it a difficult time in their career. It's hard when you get a bad name, and I felt it. The most important thing is to believe in themselves and in what they do", says Bosnian-Herzegovinian national team captain in his message to young athletes. His plans for the future are still tied for handball: "I still enjoy handball and I feel good on the ground. I intend to play handball as long as my health allows me to".


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prce, Nikola 1980 births Living people Bosnia and Herzegovina male handball players 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen Expatriate handball players in Poland Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate handball players Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Kosovo Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Poland Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Spain Sportspeople from Čapljina RK Zagreb players SC Pick Szeged players CB Ademar León players KH Besa Famgas players Expatriate handball players in Spain Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Expatriate handball players in Hungary Expatriate handball players in Austria