As soon as we finish the interview I go to bed and sleep until tomorrow; Today we haven't slept, we left Stockholm at four”, says Jordi Ribera Romans (Sarrià de Ter, 1963), recently arrived at the hotel in Madrid, after winning the bronze medal at the World Cup. It is his sixth metal, which makes him the most successful Spain coach. A fact that says practically nothing to him – “I'm not obsessed with medals”, he assures – this handball scholar, a discreet and humble man, the guru of Hispanics.
What does bronze taste like?
A great satisfaction for the work of a group, for the competitive level offered, and for maintaining the level year after year in competitions as important as the European or the World Cup.
They have been on the podium for five consecutive championships, taking a medal. Is Spain competing beyond its means?
I don't know if it's above or not. When you're continually on top it means something. Do you mean based on the league we have here or the investment compared to other countries? This is a sport with a lot of equality in many teams, there are eight that can beat you, but Spain is traditionally in the semifinals and we are normalizing it. Even the most powerful teams like France and Denmark have had moments of decline. I think it has a lot of merit and perhaps it is not valued to its extent because we repeat it every year.
What is a symptom of that only 2 of 18 Hispanics play in Asobal?
It is something that ends up being normal; It is a League where there are the budgets that exist, and from which more and more young players are coming out. That happens because foreign clubs have better budgets and look at Spanish players. And also because there are many Spanish coaches abroad who know the ones here and sign them... It's normal for them to leave when they receive a better offer.
They have won this bronze with two epic comebacks, against Norway and Sweden. How has your heart been after the World Cup?
LOL. What Spain has shown is that they have been competitive in every game, even losing to France and Denmark, who have been the best. For me, the most important thing is that there hasn't been a game in which we've lost face, and that's why we've been able to come back.
What did you say to the players when they had it almost impossible?
In the game in Norway there was no time to say anything, and we already had the mental aspect in favor because we had everything lost and Norway had everything won and went to extra time. In the game in Sweden, in the locker room we were aware that if we equalized a little the game could change radically, and the 5:1 worked.
Behind the tactical decisions there are 4 people making videos and analyzing rivals. Is he heavy with the lessons? Does it make them learn a lot of systems?
Not! In the selection we have very few plays. The luck is that we have very good players tactically, capable of playing with an open system, which they reformulate with the game; there are some automatisms, each one knows his task, and that makes us strong. Yes, we do a lot of video and a lot of technical talks, we will have done 28 or 29, that means a lot of time together.
They will be fried...
More or less... It will be difficult for them to return to the club and for someone to tell them that they want to put a video on them. But it is not that it is excessively heavy, because the videos are not very extensive, but perhaps they do have a lot of analysis. I try to present the weak and strong points of the adversary, and I review our mistakes and successes.
What quality remains of Hispanics?
It is clear that it is a group that never gives up. We have had matches that seemed lost and they have been able to turn them around. The ability to resist and reformulate in a game and overcome problems. If one thing doesn't work, they do another. It has a constant ability to find a way to win the rival, like in a war. Before dying with one thing, we tried three more.
What does it mean to be the coach who has hung the most metals in the history of the national team?
You may still think that I lack humility, but I am not obsessed with medals; I am obsessed with winning, doing my job well, that my team competes, and that will take me to the top positions. Finishing first, second or third is a source of pride and satisfaction, of course.
He has two championships left, the European 2024 and the Paris Games. The great challenge is the Olympic gold that they lack?
The idea is to build a team that is as strong as possible, I have been saying for a year and a half since Tokyo that the team is being built. The more it is done, the stronger it will be.
A year ago he said that when the contract with the Federation ended after the 2024 Games he would like to train a club. Does he still want it or has he rethought it?
I am closer to the end with the selection than to the beginning. It is true that I would like to train a team again to have a day-to-day life again. I have been with the national teams for many years, the last club was Ademar in 2011. I like to train and compete more often.
Any progress with any club?
Not yet. By contract I cannot combine the selection and a club. I'm not in a hurry, especially now... After a month and a half of work I need a week off. I need a few days off and refresh my mind.
Does Jordi Ribera go on vacation? I can't imagine it to the bartola...
I don't remember... If vacation is a long period of rest, I think I've never done it. The longest without a task has been 4-5 months. When I've been home for a week I start to get nervous.
