The Slovenian international Domen Makuc is leaving Barcelona after this season and going to Kiel. Photo: Nik Erik Neubauer
In ten days, the Slovenian won another laurel among the European elite
Domen Makuc, Barcelona handball player and Slovenian national team player, won another prestigious award in the European Champions League.
June 24, 2026, 1:37 p.m
On June 14, the twenty-five-year-old Primorec became the club champion of Europe in the final tournament of the top four in the European Champions League in Cologne, wearing a Barcelona jersey. It was the 13th such title in history for the Catalan club, and the fourth for the Slovenian after 2021, 2022 and 2024.
His club teammate and Slovenian national team player Blaž Janc can also boast of the same success, who a few days ago extended his contract with Barcelona until June 2030. At the final tournament in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Makuca received another honor – he became the most valuable player (MVP) of the last act of the 2025/26 European season, which no Slovenian handball player had previously achieved.
The best three from two clubs each
But today, Makuc, who came to Barcelona in 2020 from Celje Pivovarna Laško, received another great recognition. The European Handball Federation nominated six handball players for all seven playing positions and for the best defensive player in this year’s Champions League, and fans, players, coaches and the media could vote (each contributed 25 percent to the final results). The position of middle outside player (play organizer) was won by Makuc, who is leaving Barcelona after this season and going to Kiel, Germany.
In the ideal seven of the European season 2025/26, three players each were selected from Barcelona (Slovenian Domen Makuc/center winger, Dane Emil Nielsen/goalkeeper, Spaniard Aleix Gomez/right winger) and the German club Füchse Berlin (German Tim Freihöfer/left winger, Dane Lasse Andersson/left winger, his compatriot Matthias Gidsel/right winger) and a member of German Magdeburg, Dane Magnus Saugstrup as the best all-around attacker. Makuč’s club mate, Frenchman Ludovic Fabregas, was chosen as the best defensive player.
