Editor note: This article has been published before Joan Cañellas suffered a muscular injury which sidelined him from playing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He will be replaced in the Spain squad by Jorge Maqueda.

The Olympic Games are a dream even for the best players in the world, who have won more or less every title possible on the court. At 37 years old, Joan Cañellas is still a crucial player for Spain, securing nine medals in major international competition, including the title at the 2013 IHF Men’s World Championship and the 2018 and 2020 EHF EUROs.

Cañellas, whose studies in pharmacy earned him the nickname of "The Alchemist", has also won the EHF Champions League Men with Vardar Skopje and played the final twice, with Ciudad Real and THW Kiel, as his resume is stacked with trophies, as well as over 200 matches and 500 goals scored for “Los Hispanos”.

Now, the back is here for the last dance, announcing his retirement from handball after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, bolstering the ranks of all-time greats which will try to bow out in style from the sport, after a lengthy career, aiming to create another memory to add to his cabinet.

“The Olympic Games are special. I was only once in my career there, at London 2012, when we did not manage to secure a medal. But I remember being at the Opening Ceremony, it was an amazing feeling. We have so many athletes from all over the world, from all the sports and just being in the Olympic Village, spending time there, it is a fantastic competition,” says Cañellas.

“We are eager to compete again and try to win a medal in Paris, and I think every one of my teammates want to deliver the best performance, because the interest is huge in Spain and all over the world, even bigger than in the World Championships or European Championships, everybody is watching and cheering.”

Spain have been a powerhouse in men’s handball over the last two decades, delivering consistent performances at major international competitions. Since 1996, when they secured their first medal at the Olympic Games, they went on to clinch 18 medals at the IHF Men’s World Championship, the Olympic Games and the EHF EURO.

Basically, Spain secured a place on the podium in 18 of the 35 major international competitions they had featured in since 1996, which basically reads that “Los Hispanos” had a medal in one in each two competitions they started in, a fantastic performance for a team which aims high once again at Paris 2024.

But 2024 has been a year of hits-and-misses from Spain, which failed to make the main round at the EHF EURO, ending up on the 13th place, their worst finish in history in the European competition. Four months later, Spain S eked out a 54:53 aggregate win against Serbia in the European Qualifiers for the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, only a timely comeback in the second leg seeing “Los Hispanos” progress to the competition.

“Of course, these results were quite disappointing for us. We failed to get our proper rhythm at the EURO and against Serbia, a very good team, we finally managed to make a comeback and secure the qualification. But we are all on the same page now and try to get into the best form for Paris,” adds the 37-year-old stalwart.

But when it really mattered, in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #1, which Spain hosted in Granollers, the European side took it up a notch and their experience was crucial in delivering three clear wins – 39:27 against Bahrain, 32:22 against Slovenia and 28:26 against Brazil – which saw them secure their place for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“We were good, everybody gave it their all and we provided some good handball, therefore we qualified from the first place in Granollers and we were happy there, because we played in front of our fans, our families, I was also quite close to home, therefore it was a perfect setting,” says Cañellas.

That performance was, of course, key for Spain’s ambitions at the Olympic Games, where they face Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden and Japan in the preliminary round, a tough group, where everything can happen.

“Of course, there is no room for mistake in this competition, therefore we will need to start strong and play our best. We have an experienced team and we will try to do our best once again,” adds the 37-year-old left back.

But what about the future? How will that look for the stalwart who has won 30 titles in his career for clubs and country, with a career spanning through Spain, Germany, North Macedonia, Hungary and Switzerland?

“For sure, it will be a big change. For the past decades, I could not spend some time on weekends with my family, because I always had to play matches. And while handball gave me everything, I also want to spend some time with them. Therefore, I know that it will be a big change, but I have started to prepare mentally for some time now, and I am at peace with my decision,” adds the Spanish stalwart.

Cañellas is quite the atypical player, having studied pharmacy as well as marketing during his playing career, at different stages. He balanced studies and handball, while making his first steps at Barcelona, and then moved to another huge powerhouse, Ciudad Real.

Then, he completed studies for a marketing degree, loving to study whenever he was travelling to away matches or had some spare time, while delivering fantastic performances on the court, where he was usually a soothing and calming presence for Spain and for his clubs.

“I do not know what my future holds. I think I will pursue a career in marketing and maybe I would also dip my toes into handball, but for now, I would like to spend a bit more time with my family,” concludes Cañellas.