Neagu gets ready for final hurrah at EHF EURO

“This will probably be the last EHF EURO I ever take part in. It has been a hell of a ride, but I feel that I will end my international career after the 2024 Paris Olympics. Hopefully we will be there, despite it is going to be difficult, as it has been proven time and time again.”

Cristina Neagu gets to the point right away. The Romanian star has never been the one to shy away from or avoid difficult topics.

She has truly been a star of the competition and is its all-time top goal scorer with 267 goals, after hitting the 200-goal milestone at the EHF EURO 2018 in France, where she also had the latest setback in her glorious career, tearing an ACL which sidelined her for more than six months.

The coincidence makes it that Neagu had her first EHF EURO experience in 2008 in North Macedonia, where Romania finished fifth, and could play for the last time in the tournament in the same host country. Romania feature in group C of the preliminary round based in Skopje, and would also play the main round there.

Now 34, Neagu had two torn ACLs and a shoulder injury, difficult moments in her career, which she has overcome. She got back on the court, being widely regarded as the top player of her generation and one of the greatest of all time.

But those injuries have taken a toll physically and with plenty of matches for her club, CSM Bucuresti, both in the domestic league and in the EHF Champions League Women, the Romanian left back feels the heavy legs time and time again.

She took time off from the Romanian national team in 2021, missing the IHF World Championship in Spain, a decision that was not popular with the fans, who saw Romania end in 13th place, their worst finish ever in the competition.

But Neagu is adamant that she made the right call.

“It is their opinion, but I know I made the right call, because I took care of my mind and body and I was back at the highest level, both physically and mentally. Those talking might not even know what being in such a tournament means, what a toll it takes,” the left back says.

“They know little about the physical toll. Think about it, I have played for the national team for a long time, I have always come with a great mindset, focusing on good games and results, gave over 100 percent every time. But everyone can voice their opinion now.”

The results speak for themselves. Romania’s only medal at the EHF EURO came in 2010, when they sealed the bronze. She was the top scorer of the competition, with 53 goals and was crucial for Romania’s challenge. At that time, Neagu was hampered by the shoulder issue that sidelined her for a year after the tournament.

Eight years later, at the EHF EURO 2018 in France, the left back was also on pace to become the first player to win two top scorer awards and seal another medal, but disaster hit in the last match of the main round, against Hungary.

Spending most of the time on the court, with only nine minutes rest in the first five matches, Neagu badly damaged her knee in a duel with an opponent. Romania lost all their last three matches, finishing on the fourth place.

More determined than ever, the Romanian stalwart made her comeback and featured at the EHF EURO 2020 despite not being at 100 percent, with another injury hampering her play.

But right now, she is in good shape, despite some growing pains in the first match at the EHF EURO 2022: a 29:28 loss against the Netherlands which saw Neagu score only three of her 11 shots.

She still has that immense fire inside and can still throw the ball with astonishing speed, scoring the sixth fastest goal of the first round at the EHF EURO 2022, with a 108 km/h shot.

Those three goals helped Neagu open an even bigger gap in the all-time top goal scorer standings, now 33 goals short of becoming the first player, both in the men’s and women’s EHF EURO history, to score 300 goals.

But are records all that matter for Neagu?

“I would probably be a hypocrite to say that records do not matter, because they are there, easily accessible for everyone to see and they will remain enshrined into history. But my purpose here is not to break individual records. Not at all. If I am going to stay there at the top for a long time, sure, I will be honoured and humbled and I will give everything in my power to help Romania win,” says Neagu.

Right now, Florentin Pera’s side is not in a good place, tying their worst run in EHF EURO history with five losses in a row. The previous EHF EURO edition also brought the worst result for Romania, the 12th place. The next two matches bring two huge challenges against France, on Monday at 20:30 CET in Skopje, and North Macedonia on Wednesday, with a spot in the main round on the line.

Is Neagu ready to deliver, especially in the last EHF EURO of her career?

“We have a very young roster, and we will try to do the best we can. We assembled the best team we could, with all the injury problems, so all the players that are here wanted to be here and will do their best to get good results,” says Romania’s captain.

So, could Neagu leave a door open for a ninth EHF EURO in 2024, having taken part in every edition since 2008? Romania’s fans will probably not like the answer.

“After the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, my international career is over,” she says. “If I am healthy, then I will probably play at club level.”

Photos © Axel Heimken / kolektiff