The ASOBAL League has celebrated the ASOBAL 2024 Gala tonight at the Madison Arena in Valladolid to close the Plenitude League season and stage the celebration of the entity's 40th anniversary. The event, which has been attended by the Deputy Director General of Sports Legal Regime, Raúl Rodríguez Porras, the President of the Cortes de CyL, Carlos Pollán, or the Councilor for Citizen Participation and Sports of the Valladolid City Council, M. Teresa Martínez Jiménez, among a wide range of authorities, has paid tribute to the All-Star Team of the course and to the great names in the history of ASOBAL with the first ceremony of admission to the Hall of Fame.
"It is a special Gala, for everything we celebrate, and also a Gala of vindication. The beginnings are never easy and, for that reason, I want to thank the clubs for the support and belief in the steps we are taking towards professionalism. I am proud of all of them, because it is not easy when you are put heavy stones in the way. I would have liked the Spanish Handball Federation to be present at these awards, but it has not been possible because it did not want to participate, not even as a member of the Hall of Fame jury. We will continue working to keep moving forward, which is what we want," said ASOBAL President, Servando Revuelta, contextualizing and valuing the role of the clubs after the premiere of the status of Professional League.
Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas (best goalkeeper, Barça), Adrián Casqueiro (left wing, ABANCA Ademar León), Antonio García (left back, Fraikin BM. Granollers), Nacho Valles (center, TM Benidorm), Carlos Álvarez (ABANCA Ademar León), Esteban Salinas (pivot, Bidasoa Irun), Thiagus Petrus (defender, Barça), Petar Cikusa (revelation player, Barça) and Antonio Rama (coach, Fraikin BM. Granollers) have received their award as members of the ideal team of the season. Dika Mem, best right back, has been out of the last minute for personal reasons.
The referees Andreu Marín and Nacho García Serradilla have lifted the award for best refereeing work, the Helvetia Anaitasuna goalkeeper Juan Bar to the best save and the Frigoríficos del Morrazo player Mario Dorado to the best goal of the season. Carlos Álvarez has repeated presence on stage to collect the trophy for top scorer of the Plenitude League 2023/2024 (190 goals in 30 games) and MVP, being one of the absolute protagonists of the day. "I came to ASOBAL from Cisne without knowing how I would adapt to Ademar and from the first day everything has gone super well. I do what I like, which is playing handball. After all, playing with players of such quality, makes everything very easy. Running on the counterattack or going down the street when Juan (Castro) gives it to me ... I am very happy with how everything has gone," explains the right winger, with only two courses of trajectory in the elite of state handball (he debuted in 2022 in the ranks of the Club Cisne BM.). The ceremony has focused on the involvement and role of the city of Valladolid and its clubs in the history of ASOBAL, being an essential part of the construction of the story of sporting excellence.
In this line, ASOBAL has wanted to pay tribute to Juan Del Arco, Javi Díaz, Yeray Lamariano and Álvaro Gastón, players and members of the competition who retire this summer after a minimum of 10 years on the ASOBAL courts, and applaud the work of Bidasoa Irun for managing a carbon footprint 0 in Artaleku during the dispute of ASOBAL matches with the Plenitude Award for sustainable action of the course. The recognition of the first members of the Hall of Fame has closed the Gala, which has been attended by Elvira González, wife of Juan de Dios Román, Cecilio Alonso, Jota Hombrados and Juanín García, top scorer in the history of the ASOBAL League. "I am grateful for the mention, for the people who have voted for me, for the idea that ASOBAL has had, for making this Hall of Fame. I am delighted to be on a list with coaches and players I admire, as I have already told Cecilio Alonso. I am very proud of my sports career. I am very grateful, this award will go in an important place in my house," commented the former player of Ademar León, Barça and BM. Logroño La Rioja.
