Montpellier Handball

Montpellier Handball, formerly named Montpellier Agglomération Handball, is a professional handball club from Montpellier, France. Montpellier is the only French club to ever have won the EHF Champions League.

Montpellier

Location of Montpellier Handball

Montpellier Handball
Full name	Montpellier Handball
Short name	MHB
Founded	1982; 43 years ago (1982)
Arena	FDI Stadium & Sud de France Arena
Capacity	3,000 - 9,000
President	Julien Deljarry
Head coach	Érick Mathé
League	LNH Division 1
2024–25	LNH Division 1, 3rd of 16
Club colours
Home Away
Website Official site

History

The team was founded as Cosmos Montpellier in 1982. In 1992 they were promoted to the top division. From 1994 they were coached by Patrice Canayer who guided them to 4 French championships.

In 2003 they became the first French team to win the EHF Champions League, when they beat Spanish Portland San Antonio in the final 19-27 away and 31-19 at home.^[1]

In September 2012 18 people with connections to Montpellier, including 9 players, were accused of match fixing during a match against Cesson.^[2] The accusion was that they had lost a match on purpose, in which their relatives had put money on the result worth upwards of 89,000 euros.^[2][3][4] As a result several players left the club, including Luka and Nikola Karabatić (to Pays d'Aix UC HB), Erlend Mamelund (to Haslum HK) and Primož Prošt (to Frisch Auf Göppingen).^[5] Three years later Nikola Karabatić were found guilty and had to pay a fine of 10,000 euros.^[6]

After the 2023-24 season Patrice Canayer left the club after 30 years in charge.^[7] He was replaced by Érick Mathé, who had been the assistant for Canayer from 2015 to 2018.^[8]

Crest, colours, supporters

Naming history

Name	Period
Cosmos Montpellier	1982–1987
Montpellier Paillade SC	1987–1989
Montpellier Handball	1989–2007
Montpellier Agglomération Handball	2007–2015
Montpellier Handball	2015–present

Kits

HOME
2020-21	2021-22	2023-24

AWAY
2012–13	2013–14	2020-21	2021-22	2023-24

Accomplishments

• LNH Division 1: (14)
  • Champions: 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
• EHF Champions League: (2)
  • Champions: 2002–03, 2017–18
• Coupe de France: (13)
  • Champions: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16
• Coupe de la Ligue: (10)
  • Champions: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16
• Trophée des Champions: (3)
  • Champions: 2010, 2011, 2018
• Championnat de France N1B
  • First place: 1991–92
• Championnat de France Nationale 2
  • First place: 1988–89, 1999–00 (rés.)
• Championnat de France Nationale 3
  • First place: 1987–88
• Double

Winners (10): 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12

• Triple Crown

Winners (1): 2002–03

European record

Season	Competition	Round	Club	1st leg	2nd leg	Aggregate
2016–17	EHF Champions League	Group Stage	Logroño	30–31	37–27	1st place
			Elverum Håndball	31–24	31–32
			Metalurg Skopje	28–18	30–24
			HT Tatran Prešov	28–23	28–24
			Chekhovskiye Medvedi	26–22	33–27
		PO	HC Motor Zaporizhzhia	36–34	29–29	65–63
		1/8	Vive Tauron Kielce	33–28	28–26	61–54
		1/4	MVM Veszprém	23–26	25–30	48–56
2017–18	EHF Champions League	Group Stage	Metalurg Skopje	32–22	27–21	1st place
			Chekhovskiye Medvedi	28–24	34–23
			HC Motor Zaporizhzhia	28–20	30–31
			Beşiktaş	36–32	28–33
			Sporting CP	33–29	33–32
		Playoffs	CB Ademar León	28–24	20–19	48–43
		Round of 16	Barça	28–25	28–30	56–55
		Quarterfinals	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	28–28	29–17	57–45
		Semifinal	Vardar	28–27
		Final	HBC Nantes	32–26
2018–19	EHF Champions League	Group Stage	Vardar	24–27	27–33	7th place
			Meshkov Brest	23–26	29–23
			PGE Vive Kielce	26–29	28–27
			Barça	27–35	28–36
			Telekom Veszprém	29–30	19–25
			IFK Kristianstad	29–29	30–31
			Rhein-Neckar Löwen	27–37	31–26
2019–20	EHF Champions League	Group Stage	THW Kiel	30–33	32–33	4th place
			Telekom Veszprém	23–18	23–24
			PGE Vive Kielce	25–24	29–27
			Porto Sofarma	22–27	23–23
			Vardar	31–33	31–27
			Meshkov Brest	30–26	27–25
			Motor Zaporizhzhia	34–30	26–25
		Round of 16	Flensburg	Cancelled
2021–22	EHF Champions League	Group Stage	Pick Szeged	29–29	29–29	4th place
			Aalborg Håndbold	28–36	31–33
			THW Kiel	37–30	26–35
			RK Vardar	31–25	25–28
			Meshkov Brest	32–26	31–31
			PPD Zagreb	25–22	24–23
			Elverum Håndball	37–30	39–32
		Playoffs	FC Porto	29–29	35–27	64–56
		Quarterfinals	Łomża Vive Kielce	28–31	22–30	50–61

Team

Current squad

Squad for the 2024–25 season

Goalkeepers 12 Charles Bolzinger 92 Rémi Desbonnet Left Wingers 03 Dagur Gautason 10 Lucas Pellas 17 Jaime Fernández Right Wingers 02 Sebastian Karlsson 32 Yanis Lenne Benjamin Richert Line players 19 Arthur Lenne 22 Karl Konan 93 Veron Načinović

Left Backs 15 Ahmed Hesham 21 Kylian Prat 26 Bryan Monte Central Backs 04 Diego Simonet 05 Kyllian Villeminot 20 Staš Skube 27 Sindre Aho Right Backs 11 Đorđe Cikuša Jeličić 28 Valentin Porte (c)

Transfers

Transfers for the 2025–26 season

Joining Léo Plantin (LW) (from Paris Saint-Germain) Zvonimir Srna (LB) (from RK Zagreb) Agustín Casado (CB) (from ONE Veszprém) Jack Thurin (RB) (from Aalborg Håndbold) David Balaguer (RW) (from Paris Saint-Germain) Rogério Moraes Ferreira (P) (from MT Melsungen)

Leaving Jaime Fernández (LW) (to ?) Ahmed Hesham (LB) (to ONE Veszprém) Staš Skube (CB) (to ?) Đorđe Cikuša Jeličić (RB) (end of loan FC Barcelona) Sebastian Karlsson (RW) (to Paris Saint-Germain) Yanis Lenne (RW) (to ONE Veszprém) Karl Konan (P) (to Paris Saint-Germain) Veron Načinović (P) (to THW Kiel)

Former club members

Notable former players

• Joël Abati (2007–2009)
• William Accambray (2005–2014)
• Benjamin Afgour (2017–2020)
• Igor Anić (2003–2007)
• Grégory Anquetil (1989–2007)
• Arnaud Bingo (2016–2019)
• Sébastien Bosquet (2003–2005)
• Cédric Burdet (1995–2003, 2006–2009)
• Laurent Busselier (1996–2000)
• Patrick Cazal (1994–1999)
• Hugo Descat (2019–2023)
• Didier Dinart (1996–2003)
• Adrien Dipanda (2006–2011)
• Frédéric Dole (2004–2007)
• Ludovic Fabregas (2011–2018)
• Jérôme Fernandez (1999–2002)
• Vincent Gérard (2006–2008, 2015–2019)
• Andrej Golić (1992–2006)
• Mathieu Grébille (2008–2020)
• Michaël Guigou (1999–2019)
• Samuel Honrubia (2001–2012)
• François-Xavier Houlet (1994–1996)
• Franck Junillon (1987–2008)
• Luka Karabatic (2007–2012)
• Nikola Karabatić (2000–2005, 2009–2013)
• Daouda Karaboué (1993–2000, 2004–2010)
• Geoffroy Krantz (2000–2007)
• Yanis Lenne (2019–)
• Pascal Mahé (1992–1996)
• Bruno Martini (2000–2003)
• Olivier Maurelli (1995–1996)
• Philippe Médard (1987–1989)
• Thierry Omeyer (2000–2006, 2013–2014)
• Valentin Porte (2016–)
• Laurent Puigségur (1990–2006)
• Melvyn Richardson (2017–2021)
• Mickaël Robin (2010–2014)
• Arnaud Siffert (2013–2016)
• Stéphane Stoecklin (1988–1990)
• Marc Wiltberger (1993–1996)
• Semir Zuzo (2003–2006)
• Abdelkrim Bendjemil (1990–1992)
• Rabah Gherbi (1996–1999, 2001–2003)
• Lucas Moscariello (2021–2023)
• Diego Simonet (2013–)
• Marko Panić (2021–)
• Felipe Borges (2013–2016)
• David Juříček (2004–2011)
• Jan Sobol (2007–2010)
• Venio Losert (2014–2015)
• Petar Metličić (2012–2013)
• Veron Načinović (2021–)
• Marin Šego (2019–2022)
• Damien Kabengele (1996–2006)
• Mohamed Mamdouh (2017–2019)
• Cristian Malmagro (2012–2013)
• Balázs Laluska (2014–2015)
• Uroš Vilovski (2012–2013)
• Allahkaram Esteki (2015–2016)
• Ólafur Guðmundsson (2021–2022)
• Geir Sveinsson (1995–1997)
• Jonas Truchanovičius (2016–2021)
• Erlend Mamelund (2012–2013)
• Alexis Borges (2020–2021)
• Gilberto Duarte (2019–2022)
• Ion Mocanu (1994–1995)
• Sorin Toacsen (1996–2000, 2003–2004)
• Igor Chumak (1992–1996)
• Jure Dolenec (2013–2017)
• Matej Gaber (2013–2016)
• Dragan Gajić (2011–2016)
• Vid Kavtičnik (2009–2019)
• Borut Mačkovšek (2014–2015)
• Primož Prošt (2011–2012)
• Miha Žvižej (2016–2017)
• Mladen Bojinović (2002–2012)
• Mitar Markez (2010–2011)
• Rastko Stefanovič (2002–2004)
• Nebojša Stojinović (2008–2010)
• Nikola Portner (2016–2020)
• Richard Štochl (2010–2012)
• Martin Frändesjö (2000–2001)
• Lucas Pellas (2020–)
• Fredric Pettersson (2018–2021)
• Karl Wallinius (2021–2022)
• Aymen Hammed (2009–2011)
• Wissem Hmam (2005–2014)
• Marouen Maggaiz (2006–2008)
• Heykel Megannem (2007–2009)
• Sobhi Sioud (2001–2007)
• Mohamed Soussi (2017–2020)
• Issam Tej (2006–2015)
• Aymen Toumi (2015–2018)

Former coaches

Seasons	Coach	Country
0000–1991	Lucien Courdesse
1991-1994	Guy Petitgirard
1994–2024	Patrice Canayer