Alvaro Načinović Explained

Alvaro Načinović
Fullname:Alvaro Načinović
Nationality:Croatian
Birth Date:1966 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia
Position:Line player
Currentclub:Retired
Clubnumber:8
Youthyears1:1980-1983
Youthclubs1:RK Zamet
Years1:1983–1991
Clubs1:Zamet
Years2:1991–1992
Clubs2:Zagreb Loto
Years3:1992–1993
Clubs3:Zamet
Years4:1993–1998
Clubs4:Pivovarna Laško Celje
Years5:1998–1999
Clubs5:Zamet Autotrans
Years6:2000–2001
Clubs6:Pivovarna Laško Celje
Years7:2001–2006
Clubs7:Crikvenica
Nationalyears1:1985–1987
Nationalteam1: U-21
Nationalcaps1:20
Nationalyears2:1988–1990
Nationalcaps2:33
Nationalyears3:1992–2000
Nationalcaps3:105
Nationalgoals3:165
Titleyears1:2007–2010
Title1:Sports director
Titleplace1:Zamet
Titleyears2:2012–2014
Title2:Sports director
Titleplace2:Zamet
Titleyears3:2016–present
Title3:Sports director
Titleplace3:Kozala

Alvaro Načinović (born 22 March 1966) is a former Croatian handball player who competed for Yugoslavia and Croatia respectively.[1]

He played for his hometown club Zamet Rijeka with whom he entered into the Yugoslav First League in 1987 after winning the Second League in Kać. The same year he won the IHF Men's Junior World Championship with Yugoslavia U-21 in his club's home venue in Rijeka. Yugoslavia beat Spain in the final.[2]

In 1992 Načinović played for RK Zagreb Loto with whom he won the European Champions Cup. He also spent six years in Slovenia playing for RK Pivovarna Laško Celje with a brief season at Zamet before coming to RK Crikvenica.[3] Načinović spent five years in Crikvenica before retiring in 2006.[4]

He won the bronze medal with Yugoslavia at the 1988 Summer Olympics and also captained the national team of Croatia to a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, silver medal at the 1995 World Championship and a bronze medal at the 1994 World Championship. He made 105 appearances for the national team scoring 165 goals.[5]

Since April 2016 he is the sports director of RK Kozala.[6]

Career

Načinović first played for his hometown club of Zamet at youth level. He started playing for the senior squad in March 1983.

In 1987 Zamet won the Yugoslav Second League and got promoted to Yugoslav First League. Two years later after the departure of Darko Dunato, Načinović became team captain.[7]

After five seasons in the first Yugoslav league Načinović transferred to Zagreb Loto. That season Načinović was part of a historic Zagreb team which won Croatian league, Croatian Cup and European Champions Cup.

Načinović returned to Zamet in the summer of 1992. In September of the same year the club played against Laško Pivovara Celje in the first round of European Champions Cup.

With poor league results and a coaching aftermath going in his club Načinović left for Celje at the end of the season. He played in Celje for five years playing top level handball and winning the Slovenian league and cup every year.[8] In 1995 he played against Badel 1862 Zagreb in the 1/8 final of the EHF Champions League and lost by one goal on aggregate.[9] The next season they got to the semi-final and lost to Barcelona by one goal on aggregate. The next season Celje was once again eliminated in the semi-final, by RK Zagreb.

In 1998 Načinović returned to Zamet then Zamet Autotrans for a season helping them in EHF City Cup and league. After a season and a half he returned to Laško Pivovara Celje where he dominated the league and cup for two more years.

In 2001 Načinović went to play for RK Crikvenica under his former teammate and coach Drago Žiljak.[10] His stay in Crikvenica was the club's golden era, playing in the Croatian First League and staying there for five seasons. The club's success was due to veteran players such as Načinović, Mladen Prskalo, Marin Mišković, Zvonimir Kutija, Mario Brož, Dario Jagić, Janko Mavrović and younger players like Mirjan Horvat and Igor Montanari Knez.In 2006 Načinović retired at the club.[11]

International career

As a young player Načinović showed great promise and got called up to play for Yugoslav U-19 team at IHF Men's Junior World Championship in Italy 1985 and Yugoslavia in 1987 where his team and won the final against Spain in his hometown of Rijeka at Dvorana Mladosti.Načinović debuted for Yugoslavia in June 1988 in a match against Japan which was played in Pucarevo. In the same month he played at the tournament 27th Trophy of Yugoslavia which was played in Skopje.

Three months later Načinović competed at 1988 Summer Olympics where Yugoslavia got to the semi-finals losing (18:24) to Soviet Union who would win the tournament. Yugoslavia won third place defeating Hungary 27:23.[12]

Načinović made 33 appearances for the Yugoslavia national handball team.

Načinović also played for Croatia national handball team. He played in Croatia's first tournament appearance at 1993 Mediterranean Games in Languedoc-Roussillon where they won a gold medal.

Načinović competed for Croatia in eight major tournaments winning a bronze medal at 1994 European Championship, silver medals at 1995 World Championship, and a gold medal at 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[13] In Atalanta he scored the first goal for Croatia at the tournament in the first match against Switzerland.[14]

After the tournament he retired along with a few of the older player from Atlanta. But he returned in 1997 after Croatia's poor performances he returned to help the national team. He later played at the 1998 European Championship in Italy and at the 1999 Super Cup in Germany.

Načinović retired from the Croatian national team in 2000 although his wish was to retire at the 2000 European Championship in Croatia it didn't come true due to coach Zdravko Zovko not calling him up.

Retirement

Since his retirement from professional handball Načinović has become a sports director at RK Zamet.

In 2012 Načinović became a member of The Committee of State Award for Sport which function is deciding and giving the most prestigious Croatian sports award the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport.[15] The same year he appeared in a documentary called Riječki Olimpijci.

In 2016 he appeared in two documentaries Croatian: [[Od ponora do Olimpa]] and Croatian: [[Prvi Put]] which follows the events of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta were Croatia won their first Olympic gold medal in handball and in general.[16]

Personal life

Načinović has a son named Veron who is currently playing handball for RK Zamet.[17]

Honours

RK Zamet
RK Zagreb Loto
RK Celje Pivovara Laško
Individual

1988[18]

Yugoslavia
Croatia

Orders

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Zametska "dvorana slave": Nakon otkrivanja dresova Riječani "razbili" Buzet . Croatian . . 20 January 2017 . 11 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190411104845/https://radio.hrt.hr/radio-rijeka/clanak/zametska-dvorana-slave-nakon-otkrivanja-dresova-rijecani-razbili-buzet/102454/ . dead .
  2. News: Trsat je gorio: Alvaro Načinović sjeća se naslova svjetskog prvaka prije 30 godina . Croatian . .
  3. News: RK Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb . Croatian . os-gorjani.skole.hr/ .
  4. News: Trsat je gorio: Alvaro Načinović sjeća se naslova svjetskog prvaka prije 30 godina . Croatian . .
  5. News: U subotu rukometni spektakl "Veliko srce rukometaša" u Gradskoj sportskoj dvorani . Croatian . www.crikva.hr.
  6. News: Alvaro Načinović sportski direktor Kozale, proslavljeni rukometaš idući tjedan preuzima dužnost . Croatian . SportCom.hr .
  7. News: Povijest kluba . Croatian . www.rk-zamet.hr .
  8. News: CPL v številkah . Slovenian . www.rk-celje.si . 5 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160909171349/http://www.rk-celje.si/cpl-v-stevilkah/ . 9 September 2016 . dead . dmy-all .
  9. News: Načinović: "Prizadet sem kot človek in športnik" . Slovenian . www.sta.si .
  10. News: CRIKVENICA - BRODOMERKUR 22:21 . Croatian . .
  11. News: Rukomet: izvješće sa utakmice Crikvenica : Poreč (29:40)1. Croatian . Poreština.info .
  12. News: 1988 Summer Olympics report . English . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070713002251/http://www.okscg.org.yu/i12405e.htm . 13 July 2007 .
  13. News: RUKOMETAŠI OSVOJILI PRVO OLIMPIJSKO ZLATO . Croatian . .
  14. News: SPOMENAR: Gdje su danas pripadnici slavne generacije iz Atlante? = Croatian . germanijak.hr .
  15. News: Odluka o imenovanju predsjednika i članove odbora . Croatian . .
  16. News: Dokumentarni film… . Croatian . scena.hr .
  17. News: Pobjeda mladosti: Zamet u susjedskom derbiju napunio mrežu Umaga . Croatian . .
  18. Web site: Jubilarni 20. izbor Jobo Kurtini: završava lov na Ples delfina. 13 December 2012. novilist.hr. Croatian. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170205103131/http://novilist.hr/Vijesti/Rijeka/Sport/Jubilarni-20.-izbor-Jobo-Kurtini-zavrsava-lov-na-Ples-delfina. 5 February 2017. dmy-all.
  19. News: OTKRIVENA PLOČA S IMENIMA RIJEČKIH OLIMPIJACA . Croatian . www.rijeka.hr . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161002201247/http://www.rijeka.hr/OtkrivenaPlocaS . 2 October 2016 .
  20. News: Zamet hall of fame . Croatian. rk-zamet.hr.
  21. News: ODLUKU KOJOM SE ODLIKUJU REDOM DANICE HRVATSKE S LIKOM FRANJE BUČARA . Croatian . hrvatska.poslovniforum.hr.