Debbie Bont says goodbye to international career

After a 13-year career which was synonymous with the emergence of the Netherlands women’s senior national team on the biggest of stages, right wing Debbie Bont decided to meet an end to her international career, which saw her secure five medals in major international tournaments.

Bont was instrumental in the Netherlands’ ascension to greatness, having represented the team in six consecutive IHF Women’s World Championship editions, making her debut at Brazil 2011. She also played in five EHF EURO editions and one edition of the Olympic Games and was an integral part of the side which secured the gold medal – the first major win for the Netherlands – at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship.

“It was a great time to be part of the team for so long, and with all the successes we have achieved. I am proud that the popularity of handball in the Netherlands has grown so much over the years,” said Bont, according to the official website of the Dutch Handball Federation.

“I would like to thank all the fans for the support. It was always very special to play for you and I will miss it. Of course, I also want to thank all my teammates and all the staff members I worked with. We have created something unique and I will never forget that.”

Bont started her career at HC Volendam, moving over to Dutch powerhouse VOC Amsterdam until 2012. She featured for Danish side FC Midtjylland, German team HC Leipzig, returning for one year to the Netherlands, where she played for SERCODAK Dalfsen between 2014 and 2015.

In the last eight years, Bont played for København Håndbold between 2015 and 2020, moving to Metz Handball in 2020, where she became an integral part of the French champions, featuring in the EHF FINAL4 in the 2021/22 season and scoring 90 goals in the EHF Champions League Women.

Bont, who is now 32 years old, will continue to play for her club side but met an end to her international career after a superb journey with the Netherlands, one that spanned over 13 years, between 2009 and 2022, with 216 matches and 425 goals.

She announced herself as one of the top right wings in handball even from a young age, securing the bronze medal at the W17 EHF EURO 2007 and made an immense impact in the senior team once she made her debut in 2009.

Bont completed the set of medals at the IHF Women’s World Championship, securing gold at Japan 2019, silver at Denmark 2015 and bronze at Germany 2017, adding one silver at the EHF EURO 2016 and bronze at the EHF EURO 2018.

In six appearances at the IHF Women’s World Championship, the Dutch right wing scored 84 goals in 46 matches, with her best individual performance coming at Spain 2021, when she scored 18 goals in six matches.