In the 11th appearance at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship and their eighth appearance in a row, FC Barcelona have clinched their sixth title in the world club handball flagship competition, after the ones in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

After being runners-up in 2021 and 2022 and missing the final in 2023 and 2024, when they ended up third and fourth, Barcelona have taken back their crown, with a fantastic performance in a dramatic final against Veszprém HC, with the winner decided after a topsy-turvy 80-minute showdown, 31:30.

The common denominator between the trophies won in 2017, 2018 and 2019, as well as the previous mishaps in the last four editions is current team captain, Dika Mem, who recently returned from an injury, with his participation in this edition under a big question mark until the start of the competition.

Now 28 years old, Mem has morphed into a complete player, a true captain and a leader on and off the court, with the French right back constantly sharing ideas with his teammates and coach Antonio Carlos Ortega during the matches, whenever he is on defence.

Mem has also transitioned into a centre back role at times, being one of the most experienced players in a Barcelona squad which suffered a true makeover, as emerging players such as Ian Barrufet, Daniel Fernandez or the Cikuša brothers are taking more prominent roles.

“We are a very young team, that is right, but also we have players with a lot of experience. We have a bit of both. And we proved that this mix can be right,” says Mem.

And indeed they proved everybody who doubted them wrong.

The Spanish powerhouse had the toughest group in the preliminary round, facing Handebol Taubaté and Zamalek SC. And after a 19-goal win against the Brazilian team, they knew they needed a win against Zamalek by at least 22 goals.

They finished their attacks early, forced turnovers and even resorted to a man-to-man defence in the last five minutes to deliver a fantastic 47:25 win, which meant they avoided playing against an European side in the semi-finals, instead facing Egyptian powerhouse Al-Ahly.

Barcelona might not have the depth of Veszprém or the well-oiled core of SC Magdeburg, after losing some key stars over the last few years. But they were smart in re-signing line player Ludovic Fabregas this summer, adding key experience in defence. Moving for Ian Barrufet and Daniel Fernandez on the left wing was also a shrewd move, with the two proving to be two of the best three scorers at the 2025 IHF Men’s Club World Championship for the Spanish side.

The other one was Mem, with 21 goals, the same number as Fernandez and one goal more than Barrufet.

“It feels so good to win this trophy again. I am very happy. It has been a while since we won it, but today we were finally able to execute and win this match, despite we did not play our best level. But we won the title and this is the most important thing,” said Mem, after the win against Veszprém, not before doing a selfie with hundreds of Egyptian fans present in the arena.

It was his fourth title, moving him closer to the record still held by three former teammates – wings Victor Tomas and Aitor Ariño, plus centre back Raul Entrrerios – who won the title five times.

But it is also a special one for Mem and Barcelona, as the Spanish side was probably credited with the third chance before the start of the competition, as they had already lost a match against Magdeburg this season in the Champions League and, at least on paper, had less depth than Veszprém.

But against all odds, Barcelona provided a different performance than the ones they used to in the past. It was more of a defence-first mentality, rather than the constant attacking one they delivered over the last years.

“Every time we play against these teams it's going to be difficult. We knew that this final could be decided only in the small details. The truth is that today we didn't do very well, we missed a lot of chances. But as I said, in the end the most important thing is the title,” said Mem.

Throughout the 80 minutes of the final, the lead changed hands 11 times. None of the teams led by more than three goals and Barcelona sealed the title with a goal scored with seven seconds to go on the clock with Aleix Gomez converting an open-goal shot that secured the 31:30 win.

“The situation we are in now, with a changed team makes this even more special,” added Mem.

This has been Mem’s eighth appearance at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship. And just to underline how his role has changed from a rookie in 2017 to a team captain in 2025, this has been the edition where Mem has scored the largest number of goals – 21 – beating the previous record set in 2024 by two goals.

So far, the France right back has scored 119 goals at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, with at least nine goals in every edition played so far.

“This win just gives us more confidence for the future,” concludes Mem. Just the confidence needed for more trophies.

And next season, Barcelona will once again be in Egypt at the 2026 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, qualified as title holders. With a chance for Mem to tie the record for the number of titles won by a single player.