In women's handball, right back is one of the positions which can be problematic to find in different generations, as identfying a strong right-handed sharpshooter is difficult. But Portugal seem to have hit the jackpot with Luciana Rebelo, a player who has impressed and developed storngly over the last few years.

Rebelo first announced her name at the 2022 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, scoring 37 goals for Portugal and delivering 20 assists, when the European side finished on the 13th place in the world handball flagship competition.

One year later, at the W19 EHF EURO 2023, Portugal finished fourth, but Rebelo made one step further in her development, being the second best scorer after Denmark’s  Julie Scaglione, while being named  the All-Star right back of the competition, completing a superb performance.

“I started handball when I was 11 or 12 years old and from that moment on, I grew to love the sport so much. It is fast, you have powerful shots, you need to run a lot, what is there not to like,” says Rebelo, who is currently representing the Portugal women’s junior team at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship.​​​​​​

Portugal do not have a tradition in women’s handball, but have made immense steps towards becoming better and better, nurturing a superb generation into growing into a transitional one.

Rebelo and fellow backs Carmen Figueiredo and Constanca Sequeira have already made it into the senior team, who have qualified for the EHF EURO 2024, for the second time in history and for the first time in 16 years, as Portugal are also preparing to make it to the IHF Women’s World Championship in the near future.

For Rebelo, who will turn 19 years old only in July, the experience gained was invaluable, which is now put to use at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship, where Portugal are aiming to at least tie their best result, which is the sixth place in 1997.

Their start was excellent, a clear 32:18 win against Guinea, in a group that also boasts Montenegro and Uzbekistan, two teams who Portugal will be probably favoured against. Qualify for the main round and the European side will likely play against Iceland, North Macedonia or Angola.

“Of course we want to go as far as possible, being here is an amazing feeling, every time we play for Portugal we are happy and we try to give our best, representing our national in such an important competition,” adds Rebelo.

Formerly featuring for Portuguese side Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Rebelo has made a huge step towards stardom last summer, when she got an unexpected call from Team Esbjerg, the Danish champions and one of the powerhouses in the EHF Champions League Women.

After their experienced right back, Mette Tranborg, was injured, Esbjerg needed a right back and turned to Rebelo, one of the hottest prospects in women’s handball, whose talent and potential were recognised by one of the best clubs in the world.

The Portuguese player knew that she was making a huge step into the unknown, changing the well-known surroundings of Portugal and capital Lisbon for a totally different culture and a totally different brand of handball, but the offer was too difficult to refuse.

Rebelo has already scored five goals in the EHF Champions League Women for a team that finished third in the European premium competition in the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest three weeks ago, and has been featuring alongside some of the best players in the world, including the 2023 IHF Female World Player of the Year, Henny Reistad.

“The feeling is amazing, of course. Being there every day, training and playing alongside Henny Reistad, Nora Mørk and other amazing players, it is just absolutely fantastic. I have learnt so much and improved a lot in these months, therefore I think it was the right choice to make and the best move for my career,” says Rebelo.

“It just clicked in plenty of ways, even if it is totally different from what I was used to, but right now, just being here and learning so much, I am very happy with this step in my development.”

But right now, the 18-year-old right back is just focusing on the task at hand, and, of course, dreams about the future. A future which definitely looks bright, considering the excellent qualities and potential which Rebelo has.