Cristina Neagu

Cristina Neagu
Neagu in 2017
Personal information
Full name Cristina Georgiana Neagu
Born (1988-08-26) 26 August 1988 (age 36)
Bucharest, Romania
Nationality Romanian
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Left back
Club information
Current club CSM București
Number 8
Youth career
Team
CSŞ 5 București
Senior clubs
Years Team
0000–2006
HC Activ Ploiești
2006–2009
CS Rulmentul Brașov
2009–2013
CS Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea
2013–2017
ŽRK Budućnost
2017–2025
CSM București
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2023
Romania 213 (936)
Medal record
World Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Denmark
European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Denmark/Norway
World Youth Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Canada
European Junior Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Turkey
European Youth Championship
Silver medal – second place 2005 Austria

Cristina Georgiana Neagu (Romanian pronunciation: [krisˈtina ˈne̯aɡu]; born 26 August 1988) is a Romanian professional handballer who plays as a left back for CSM București and formerly played for the Romanian national team.[1][2]

Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time, Neagu is the only female handball player in history to win four IHF World Player of the Year awards (in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018).[3][4] She also won the EHF Player of the Year award in 2017 and 2018 (a record). She has been selected to the All-EHF Champions League All-Star Team seven times (2015–18 and 2020–22).

A prolific goalscorer, Neagu is the European Championship's all-time leader in goals scored (303).[5] She was the 2015 World Championship top-scorer and was named MVP of the tournament.[6] She also finished as the top scorer of the EHF Champions League in the 2014–15, 2017–18 and 2021–22 seasons.

Neagu was given the award of Cetățean de onoare ("Honorary Citizen") of the city of Bucharest in 2017.[7]

  1. ^ EHF profile
  2. ^ "Cristina Neagu Fapte și Statistici". Red Bull (in Romanian). Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  3. ^ Giuclea, Andreea (20 September 2019). "Cristina Neagu: Un 8 de Neoprit, documentarul unei cariere unice în handbal". Red Bull (in Romanian). Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  4. ^ "World's first female handball player to win three Player of the Year awards: Cristina Neagu sets world record". World Record Academy. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  5. ^ Ulmeanu, Ioana (4 December 2018). "Interviu EXCLUSIV: 100% Cristina Neagu – golgheterul all-time al Campionatului European de handbal". Elle (in Romanian). Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  6. ^ "La Roumaine Cristina Neagu désignée MVP du Mondial féminin". L'Équipe (in French). 20 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Cristina Neagu becomes 'Honorary Citizen of Bucharest'". Handball Planet. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.