Víctor Tomàs to retire at the end of the season

FC Barcelona handball player Víctor Tomàs announced on Monday that he will be retiring at the end of the season due to recently diagnosed heart condition. Tomàs spoke of his decision in a specially arranged press conference alongside FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and various other figures from club as well as team mates and family members.

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“Thanks to the Club’s medical services, I have been diagnosed with a heart condition that is getting progressively worse each year due to being a professional sportsman. If I continue to put the same demands on my heart in training that I have done since the age of 18, that may risk my health and my life. It is for that reason that I have no choice but to announce my retirement from professional handball at the end of the season. It is not the way that I imagined, but life is like that. I want to be able to look forward to a normal life in the future and to do that I have to take this decision,” said a visibly emotional Tomàs. 

After the player’s announcement, president Bartomeu praised the man who has spent 18 season with the first team, eight as captain. The president also made a double announcement himself: firstly, that the Club would retire the number 8 shirt worn by Tomàs at the end of the season, and secondly that the player would remain at FC Barcelona in some capacity following his retirement. 

Impressive list of honours 

Víctor Tomàs made his debut with the first team back in 2002. Since then he has accumulated an amazing 67 trophies with the Club, highlights being three Champions League titles (2005, 2011, 2015), 11 Asobal League titles (2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 y 2019) and 10 Asobal Cups and 10 Copa del Rey amongst many others.