Varzaru, the first Romanian top goalscorer
If you want to find Romania’s most successful handball player, you don’t have to look further than Cristina Varzaru.
The pacey right-wing, equipped with crafty technique and a great handball brain, has been an integrant part of Viborg’s success in the Women’s EHF Champions League in the second part of the last decade.
During a span of four years, the Danish side won three Champions League trophies (2006, 2009, 2010), dominating the European handball in a manner that could hardly be replicated.
“It took a lot of planning from the club, but everything fell in place at the right time. We had a winning mentality and that meant a lot for us. It gave us the strength to overcome our most difficult moments”, said Varzaru after winning the third Women’s EHF Champions League of her career.
The peak of Varzaru’s career was the 2009/10 season, when the Romanian ace helped Viborg win the Women’s EHF Champions League by becoming the top goalscorer of the competition, with 101 goals.
It was far from an errorless season from the Danish champions, who lost four games during the road to the final, including a one-goal defeat against the other finalist, CS Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, in the Main Round.
But Viborg bounced back impressively and managed to oust Oltchim in the final, by an eight-goal aggregate margin, 60:52.
Varzaru’s performance during the season was nothing short of extraordinary. In a star-studded team, which had Bojana Popovic, Grit Jurack, Katrine and Kristine Lunde or Rikke Skov, the Romanian wing managed to stand out, by scoring goals in crucial moments.
Therefore, Varzaru, which scored a fifth of Viborg’s 60 goals in the final against her former team, won the goalscoring trophy, winning by a three-goal margin ahead of Brazilian right wing Alexandra do Nascimento, who played for Hypo Niederosterreich.
It was the best season for the Romanian wing, who has been dealt a great list of injuries throughout her career, missing at least one and a half seasons with problems in her knee and her Achilles’ tendon. But Varzaru always came back stronger and mentally ready to cope with all the problems.
“I was pumped up before the final, as I was playing against Oltchim, my former team. I wanted to celebrate the title there, in my home country, even if I was playing for a Danish side. My dream came true,” told Varzaru after winning the trophy.
Two years ago, after six hugely succesful seasons with Viborg, Varzaru decided it was time to come back to Romania. Therefore, she signed a two-year contract with CSM Bucuresti, a team which has huge ambitions for the next years.
“I have never felt more respected than in Viborg, but my heart told me I need to come back to Romania, to be closer to my family”, said Varzaru after leaving Viborg.
TEXT: Adrian Costeiu / br
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