Sterbik to retire in 2018?
Photo: rkvardar.mk
Written by: Rasmus Boysen
One of the best goalkeepers in this millennium, Arpad Sterbik, to retire after next season.
In an interview with the Hungarian website Origo.hu, the 37-year-old Yugoslavian-born Spanish goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik confirms, that he earlier in his career has been in negotiations with the Hungarian club Pick Szeged, but that it is now probably too late, because he could stops his career in 2018.
"We've negotiated before. In fact in virtually everything we agreed, but for some reason things did not work out in the end."
Arpad Sterbik was born just 50 kilometers from Szeged, so the destination would be ideal for the last seasons of Sterbik.
"We also discussed the future of Szeged, but unfortunately I have one more year of my contract with Vardar. The thing is that afterwards my days are numbered in handball," Sterbik added to Origo.hu.
Arpad Sterbik has previously played in Hungary at the rivals Telekom Veszprém (at that time Fotex Veszprem). Besides Veszprém he spent 10 years in Spain in BM Ciudad Real (Atletico Madrid) and FC Barcelona. He came to RK Vardar in 2014 for an estimated transfer fee of 800.000 euros, which makes Sterbik the 7th most expensive player of all time (see top 10 here).
Arpad Sterbik has played caps for both Yugoslavia, Serbia (and Montenegro) and Spain.
This season Pick Szeged has the Spanish goalkeeper Jose Manuel Sierra and the Bosnian-born Croat Marin Sego in the sheet. Due to an injury of Sego, the club has furthermore lend the Slovenian World Championship bronze medalist of RK Maribor Branik, Urh Kastelic. Read more here.
