Victor Iturriza
| Victor Iturriza | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Victor Manuel Iturriza Álvarez | ||
| Born |
22 May 1990 Havana, Cuba | ||
| Nationality | Portuguese | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Playing position | Pivot | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | al Kuwait SC | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Senior clubs | |||
| Years | Team | ||
2014–2016 | Artística de Avanca | ||
2016–2025 | FC Porto | ||
2025– | al Kuwait SC | ||
| National team 1 | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2020– | Portugal | 59 | (206) |
|
1 National team caps and goals correct as of 14 January 2026 | |||
Victor Manuel Iturriza Álvarez (born 22 May 1990) is a Cuban-born Portuguese handballer who plays as pivot for al Kuwait SC and the Portuguese national team.[1][2]
Career
Iturriza played until 2014 for the second tier team A.A. Avanca. In the 2014-15 season he was promoted to the top flight, when they finished 2nd. In 2016 he joined top team FC Porto.
For the 2024-25 season he signed for the Qatari club al Kuwait SC.[3]
National team
He originally planned to represent Portugal at the 2020 European Men's Handball Championship, but did not manage to get naturalized in time. He played his first game for Portugal on November 4th 2020 against Israel in a qualification game for the 2022 European Men's Handball Championship.[4]
At the 2021 World Championship he finished 10th with Portugal.[5] Later the same year, he finished 9th at the 2021 Olympics.[6]
At the 2022 European Championship he finished 19th with Portugal.
In 2025, he was part of the Portugal team that reached the semifinals of the World Championship for the first time in history. They lost the semifinals to Denmark and the third place playoff to France.[7] At the occasion he made the tournament all-star team.[8] At the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship he was part of the Portugal team that got 5th place, their best ever finish at a European Championship.[9]
Honours
- Porto
- Portuguese League: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Portuguese Cup: 2018–19, 2020–21
- Portuguese Super Cup: 2019, 2021
Individual awards
- All-Star pivot of the World Championship: 2025[8]
References
- ^ "Victor Iturriza at EHF". eurohandball.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Victor Iturriza at FC Porto". fcporto.pt. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Wüsten-Klub holt portugiesischen Nationalspieler Iturriza und Ex-HBL-Profi Lipovina" (in German). handball-world.news. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
- ^ "Portista Víctor Iturriza já adquiriu nacionalidade portuguesa e foi chamado pela primeira vez à seleção". www.fcporto.pt (in Portuguese). FC Porto. 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
- ^ "Team Roster Portugal" (PDF). ihf.info. 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ "Handball – Results Book". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ Orup Kristensen, Oliver (2 February 2025). "Sindssyg afslutning på dramatisk bronzekamp" [Insane finish to bronze match] (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Gidsel Named MVP, As 2025 IHF Men's World Championship All-Star Team Announced". International Handball Federation. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Historiske Portugal" (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.