Vărzaru says farewell to Viborg

Romanian national team captain, Cristina Vărzaru, will leave Viborg HK at the end of the season. She announced her intention to return to Romania, but she will not be heading back to Rm. Vâlcea, instead choosing an interesting project in Iaşi, a team currently playing in the second division.

Vărzaru, now 32, has decided to leave Viborg at the end of the season, after eight successful seasons: 

“There are several reasons for putting an end to my adventure in Denmark. First of all, I’m thinking about my future after handball, as my career is almost ending. I also miss my family and my fiancée, and I want to be near them as much as possible. There have also been several injuries that have kept me on the sidelines. Last but not least, the person who helped me the most in Denmark, my soul sister and former teammate, Henriette Mikkelsen, decided to end her career. This plethora of reasons were behind my decision”, said Vărzaru.

The experienced right-winger has chosen to play for an interesting team, Terom Z Iaşi, a team that is currently in the second league and will be playing later this season for promotion. 

Although Terom Z is newly-founded team, it has attracted experienced players, like Carmen Amariei, a former EHF Champions League winner with Slagelse DH and also a former teammate with Vărzaru at Viborg. 

“I’ve talked a lot with president Zamfir and he convinced me to sign for Terom Z Iaşi. I’ve found a great project here and I want to help as much as I can to develop a new team in Romania. I know that in my country long-term plans are not important, but this is a risk I’m willing to take because I believe in this team and I can bring a lot of the experience I gained in Denmark,” the right-winger added.

Vărzaru is one of the best players in the history of Romanian handball, being a three-time winner of the EHF Champions League. The right-winger was also the EHF Champions League’s top scorer in 2009/2010 season, hitting the net 101 times.

“I will miss Viborg. I had seven great years here and I learnt a lot, both as a player and as a person. It was a hard decision to make, but my heart told me I had to go back to Romania. I will certainly miss the atmosphere here, the love surrounding the team, and the brilliant fans”, explained Vărzaru, who is preparing to end her international career after what she calls “a successful campaign in the Olympics”.

Viborg moved quickly in the transfer market and managed to sign Larvik’s 20-year-old Norwegian Amanda Kurtovic as the replacement for Vărzaru. 

“Cristina has reached the age where it’s natural to think more about family matters than handball. She is still a great player, with great skills. We knew for a while that Cristina would leave our team, so we had time to search for the perfect replacement for her. We decided that Amanda would fit perfectly into our team and we warmly welcome her,” said Susanne Munk Wilbek, Viborg’s sports director.