DVSC SCHAEFFLER will have another French world champion player from the summer. Alicia Toublanc, who was also selected for the dream team of the Paris Olympics, comes from the Romanian team Valcea.

28-year-old Alicia Toublanc trained at the Brest Bretagne handball academy and became a professional player with the Breton team in 2017. As a Brest player, he won both the championship and the French Cup, and in 2021 he played in the final of the Champions League. In the final, Vipers Kristiansand won 34-28, so the French team won the silver medal. In the 2022/23 BL season, he was selected for the All-Star team, as the best right winger of the series. He became world champion with the national team in 2023, and won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was also selected for the tournament’s dream team. Alicia previously played as a handball player for Brest and Valcea against DVSC SCHAEFFLER, so she was no stranger to the Debrecen team.

– Please tell me the story of your signing!
– Actually, it’s a short story. DVSC SCHAEFFLER contacted me and I immediately felt that this was a great opportunity. The Hungarian championship has always been attractive to me, I wanted to try myself there as well. So we clarified some details regarding the contract and quickly agreed.
– What do you think about the team? Surely you have an opinion, since you have already played against us as a member of two teams?
– Yes, I have played against DVSC SCHAEFFLER in the Champions League, even as a player of Brest, although the match in Debrecen is not a very good memory, as we lost and we also met recently in the Europa League, then I was already a handball player for Valcea. Debrecen made a very good impression on me both times. A fighting team made up of good players, which I think can do great things. I know that the key players will remain next year as well, which I think is important because it gives stability to a team, but I also know that there will be others coming besides me, so we will have a good team.
– I guess you have acquaintances from the current team…
– Of course, we played together in the French national team with Cathy and Oceane, I know them very well and of course I also know the players of the Hungarian national team, as we recently met at the European Championship.
– Did you talk to our French players before you made your decision?
– Of course, I asked them about the team and the city, and they spoke very positively about everything. Both said that they feel great in Hungary and in Debrecen as well. Of course, this also contributed to the fact that I finally accepted DVSC SCHAEFFLER’s offer, because it is also important for me to feel comfortable with my new team and I fully accept their opinion.
– Have you already tried yourself in the French championship, then in the Romanian one, what do you expect from the Hungarian championship?
– I’ve always liked challenges. Even now, I’m really looking forward to playing in the Hungarian championship. It will be a new environment for me, and a very strong league. I wonder what I will be able to do, especially against the top teams. Anyway, I like that the club has such ambitions. I know that the goal is for the team to be in the Champions League again as soon as possible and to be able to play against the best at the international level as well. My goal is also to be able to play handball at the highest level, so I trust that together we will succeed.
– In the French national team, you used to shoot the sevens. If it turns out that way, will you also take it on in Debrecen?
– I don’t know, it’s not for me to decide, but for the coach. I think Debrecen has the players designated for this, so I don’t want to make a hasty statement. It can happen, but it’s always the coach’s decision.
– If it’s up to you, will you take it?
– If it’s up to me, I’ll take it.” I like to shoot sevens, so I can do it.
– You are a world champion and an Olympic silver medalist with the national team, you won everything in France with Brest, and you even played in the Champions League final. What other personal goals do you have? Are you still hungry for success?
– Of course. As far as the national team is concerned, my goal is still to remain a stable member and win more medals, since last time, at the European Championship, we did not succeed, precisely because of the Hungarians… (laughs!) Actually, I have the same goal with my new club, to let’s win a medal either in the championship, or in the cup, or even in the Europa League, if it turns out that way. So I clearly want to achieve more success in my career, despite the fact that I feel that I can and even want to improve as a player.