Zlatko Žagmešter, Croatian handball legend, dies at 83

Zlatko Žagmešter, born in Zagreb in 1943, died at age 83. He began his career at RK Zagreb at 15, becoming the youngest player in the Yugoslav championship. Žagmešter later starred for Prvomajska (later Medveščak), winning the Yugoslav Cup and a national title. At 19 he debuted for the Yugoslav national team and played at the 1964 World Championship in Prague, where he was named to the tournament’s best seven and voted the best young player. He was the national team’s top scorer with 27 goals and later earned the best player award at the European Cup of Champions in 1964, as well as the best scorer award at the 1970 World Championship in Paris, where Yugoslavia took bronze. Known for his powerful jump‑shot, he played abroad in Germany and France. He missed the 1972 Olympic Games for unexplained reasons and is remembered as one of the region’s greatest handball players.