The rising handball stars of 2013, part 10: Borut Mačkovšek

Do you remember Aleš Pajovič? He was called "bum-bum" Pajo for his shooting power and strength.

Many years had to pass before a successor on the left back court, Pajo’s position in the Slovenian national team, could be seen on the horizon.

But rumours about a potential newcomer started to circle some years ago: a Slovenian handball wunderkind might have been on his way to stardom.

Today, at 20 years of age, Borut Mačkovšek is not a child anymore, also not a star yet.

However, he has all the prerequisites it takes to climb to the top of world handball in his career.  

“One day I went with my father to my brother's handball practice,” Mačkovšek recalls.

“(Slovenian coach) Tone Barič was there and he immediately invited me to join them," recalls Mačkovšek.

He hence started playing the sport in his hometown Izola. His further educational plans  – he wanted to work as a gardener – made him to attend school in Celje, where it did not take him long to join the club with the longest tradition in Slovenian handball: Celje Pivovarna Laško.

"Celje is every handball player’s dream," is a well known opinion in Slovenia.

Mačkovšek had just turned 17 when he got his first feel of the EHF Champions League at the start of the 2009/10 season. 

The next year he joined RK Maribor Branik for a season before returning to Celje for the 2011/12 season.

And what other qualities could a handball coach dream of in a handball player? At 2,03 metres, he is the tallest player in the squad and has more than underlined his shooting prowess by having scored 42 goals in the current VELUX EHF Champions League season.

In less than two years Mačkovšek has become one of the key players in Celje that will have to prove his talent once more when Celje meet HSV Hamburg in the first leg of the competition’s last 16 on Saturday, 16 March (Match of the week on ehfTV.com).

"He works hard and fair. He is getting better and better. Now, he is returning all the efforts we put in him in last two years," his coach Vladan Matić says.

Sometimes one could see that he is still young, lacking a bit of focus. But Matić believes in him and gave him more chances than anybody else.

"He is still young, in one way a child," Matić describes the Slovenian jewel.

His temperament and moodiness can cause small problems at times; however, as his talent is priceless, he was soon nominated for the national team, too.

Head coach Boris Denič gave him a chance soon after Mačkovšek had proved his skills at Celje.

In June 2011, in a test match against Serbia, he put on the Slovenian national team jersey for the first time – a memory that will always stay in the young player’s mind.

And Mačkovšek continues to extend these memories as he found his name also on the list of players for the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia and the 2013 World Championship in Spain.

A talent on its way to Germany

Slovenia finished sixth in Serbia and fourth in Spain, but Mačkovšek wants more.

"I want to go to Germany, I want to be European Champion, I want to win a medal with national team," he says.

He has already reached the first objective as he signed a three-year contract starting from next season with German Bundesliga side, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, at the end of February.

“The German Bundesliga consists of many top level teams. In every match one is forced to give it the absolute maximum you have,” he says.

“It’s in Germany where I see the best possibilities to further develop my game.”

Slovenia has been waiting for such a player for many years.

"Before some matches in Spain our coach told me not to think too much, not to think about assists, but just take any opportunity to score.

“Shot, shot, shot until you do not score, he said, then also your teammates will follow you."

Mačkovšek is special, he could become a true handball star one day.

Those who know him well are sure that he needs more time to get mature, to realise how much work there is to do to become one of the best - just talent is not enough.

National team coach Boris Denič also sees no reason to hurry, the way to handball stardom can be a long one.

"He is just one element of our team. He will have to play more than 150 matches then I will pay tribute to him," he says.