Croatian Handball Legend Zlatko Žagmešter Dies After Cancer Battle

Zlatko Žagmešter, widely regarded as one of Croatia's greatest and most distinctive handball players, has passed away following a battle with throat cancer. His life story was a cinematic narrative of extraordinary talent, defiance, injustice, and a relentless fight both on and off the court.

“

And you would be in a bad mood if you had your throat cancer operated on a few days ago.

Žagmešter, known affectionately as Žaga, was a force in European handball during the 1970s. He was a fanatic for training, renowned for his exceptional physical condition and a powerful, high jump shot from 12 to 14 meters – a skill that set him apart. He remains the only handball player from the former Yugoslavia to consistently score from such distances and the only one in the region to score 5,000 goals in nine years.

His club career included stints with Dinamo, Prvomajska, Medveščak, Zagreb, Solingen, and Mulhouse. He reached the European Champions Cup final twice, though both times ended in defeat. His international career yielded a bronze medal at the 1970 World Championship. However, a significant shadow over his career was his exclusion from the 1972 Munich Olympics.

“

You know that my daughter Vanda was in love with you from the age of 12. I was very jealous and that's why I didn't take you.

Forty years later, Žagmešter learned the reason for his omission: the coach, Vlado Stenzel, admitted to being intensely jealous of Žagmešter's popularity, particularly after a flattering profile in the French newspaper L'Équipe. Stenzel confessed that his daughter's childhood infatuation with Žagmešter also played a role, leading to the coach's decision to sideline him. This exclusion, Žagmešter stated, cost him a potential annual pension of 40,000 kuna that he would have received for winning a gold medal.

“

And so, because of his daughter, I missed out on a 40,000 kuna annual pension that I would be receiving today if I had won gold in Munich.