fullname ntupdate birth_place nationalteam height article_title position nationalyears birth_date image currentclub name
ivano balić january 2009 -lrb- utc -rrb- split , hrvatska croatia 1.89 ivano balić
 center back 2002-2012 1 april 1979 ivano balic 13.jpg retired ivano balić
ivano balić

ivano balić -lrb- born 1 april 1979 in split -rrb- is a former croatian handballer , world and olympic champion .
balić is widely considered by experts and fans to be one of the best handball players of all time .
he was voted 5 times in a row as the most valuable player in major international competitions , and is one of only two handball players who received the ihf world player of the year award on two occasions -lrb- 2003 , 2006 -rrb- .
he played the 2014/15 season at the german team hsg wetzlar but announced his retirement at the end of the season .
