Carlos Ortega is the first person with eight Champions League winners!

Everything is with him Barça, Carlos Ortega became the first person with eight Champions plus six wins as a player (1996–2000, 2005) and two as a head coach (2022, 2024). So far, the Andalusian has shared seven points with three other internationals. ‘Dream Team’ who was in charge Valero Rivera: David Barrufet, Javi O’Callaghan and Andrey Hepkin, who won six with Barca and one with THW Kiel, but are now alone at the top.

“Everyone has their own little heart and is excited, but coaches are nothing without players, we have to be clear about that, mainly because of the players,” said Ortega, beaming with happiness in the bowels of the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. , where he won two Champions Leagues in his first three seasons on the Barça bench.

“No color! You suffer more as a coach. When you’re a player you worry about yourself and your two closest friends, but as a coach you have to think about everything. And, when things go well, you also enjoy being a coach a lot more. “What happens is that things don’t go right,” Carlos said.

“We are hard to beat, we defend well and we are a team. Here we are destined to suffer, but if this is the end, then you are very happy and satisfied,” the coach said.

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“This is the success of the team. Sport is a state of mind, people trusted and worked hard. There were players who took a brutal step forward, the goalkeeper, Dica, Luis Frade, those who do the dirty work, like Tiagos.” Everyone, I don’t want to individualize because this is a collective sport. Petar’s performance was also very important in the rotation, and whoever helps for five minutes is also vital,” Ortega listed.

“Petar? What more could we ask for from an 18-year-old who played for the youth team last year? Both he and Djordje are going to give Barça some great handball days. Arriving at Barça and playing at 18 It’s not easy. “Time will tell us what he is worth,” said the Barca coach.

“When everyone is flattering you, you need to stand on your own two feet and have good habits, invisible training, Djordje has them better than Petar. We are working, and the players are helping him a lot. He must act super professionally. . To cope with this, this year we sometimes sent him to play for the second team, we do what coaches sometimes do,” Ortega commented with a laugh.

“This Champions League is very important for the section and for the club because it has been a difficult season for the board. I thank the management for the support and trust that I had from the very beginning in implementing this project,” explained the coach. .

“There is a way of working. Barça in general and the handball section in particular are used to fighting for titles. Here we play under pressure. I was a Barça player for 11 years and felt the pressure to win. people can’t stand it, historically there have been players who have had to come out. We’re on holiday now, but we’ll have to be at full strength again in August if we can win the Super Globe too. Story. “Barça is the same,” Ortega said.