Djordje and Petar Cikusa, the 17-year-old twins who also want to dazzle with Spain | Sports

It’s an ordinary Friday in Barcelona’s sports city, one of those in which Petar Cikusa, 17, dresses in shorts to train with the first handball team. Slovenian Makuc’s knee injury has precipitated his promotion. Hours later, dressed in his tracksuit, he approaches the subsidiary’s training session as always, where his twin Djordje is exercising (he was born minutes later, on December 8, 2005, in Bordils, Girona) and awaits the speech of coach Ferran Porres, who announces which players will be promoted to the first team that weekend. Djordje is usually the one chosen to accompany Petar.

“There is a very good generation with Ian Barrufet, Ezequiel Conde, Óscar Grau… all in the Spanish youth teams,” resolves Raúl Entrerríos, sports director of the section. Petar and Djordje have already arrived at the senior team, summoned by Jordi Ribera to play in the Golden League from November 2 to 5 in Bergen (Norway) against major rivals such as Denmark and the Netherlands.

They are handball players by birth because their father, Zoran, was a full-back who stood out for Croatia in Zagreb, Gijón and Guimarães before retiring at Bordils, where he assumed the position of coach and sports director. His children spent the entire day in the enclosure with the ball in their hands. Something they continued doing at home, with music blaring, weaving the dream of being professionals. An aspiration that was catapulted by Barça when they turned 13, settled in La Masia, while their sister was developing with volleyball, now a player for Torrelavega of the Super League 2, and the little one was training with the Granollers youth team, also from handball. For now the flashes are for Petar and Djorde, who already led the under-18 team to win the European Championship last year and the under-19 World Cup this year. The twins look very little alike.

Djorde, a right back who can also be left or centre-back, made his Barça debut last year at the age of 16 years, 11 months and 4 days, the second youngest in history after Xavi Castro (16 years and 22 days on October 2, 2012). ). “He is ambidextrous and can play on the entire first line. He is sober, disciplined, loses few balls and in the short term can go on to defend in the center,” resolves the first team coach, Carlos Ortega. “Playing with both hands is rarely seen because he also has high-quality shots. He is very versatile,” adds Entrerríos. “He is very complete,” says Porres; He “defends in several positions very solidly, he also knows how to attack and offers important wealth.”

Petar, however, who debuted this year with the first team, is something else. “He is an electric, intuitive player, more offensive than defensive, but in a display of talent he can unlock your attack,” explains Porres. “He has more speed in the game and more incisive individual actions, especially offensively. Individually he can be unbalancing,” adds Entrerríos. “He takes risks, he is fast and defends less, although he has a lot of ability to steal balls,” Ortega defines him. And the team captain, Dika Mem, clarifies: “Djordje is calm and that’s how he plays. And Petar goes out without fear and does not think about his age.”

His handball is understood by his personality. “They are different, but compatible,” defends Entrerríos, who during his time also played with his brother Alberto de Jesús; “They understand each other, they have an understanding of the important game and they connect well with their teammates.” But each one is as they are. “Djordje is a more constant, more disciplined person; and Petar is more of a playful child,” Porres resolves. “But they are both a little introverted,” Ortega adds. Which does not prevent them from going at the speed of light. “In the last three months many things have been precipitated, all the media focuses on them. You have to be careful. But we technicians put their feet on the ground,” says Ortega. “They are 17 years old. We must go calmly and not be in a hurry. We would be wrong,” adds Porres.

And Porres clarifies: “We understand that we have to shorten deadlines because they have technical-tactical skills, but on a psychological and maturational level they lack them.” Mem, who also went to France when he was 17, adds: “You’re young, a lot of good things happen to you, everyone talks about you… It’s not easy. But they have the family and all of us to help them.” For now, it’s Spain’s turn.

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2023-11-02 04:15:00
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