Cabral says goodbye to handball at Paris 2024 and has new aims: "I want to become a police officer"

With 168 matches for Spain and 756 goals, Alexandrina Cabral is one of Spain’s best ever players, having been in the team which secured the silver medal at the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship and at the EHF EURO 2014.

Now 38 years old, Cabral long thought about retirement, but decided to play one more year, signing for Brest Bretagne Handball, the French powerhouse, to stay in shape and deliver the best kind of performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

However, Spain were far away from their magic and usual excellent defensive performance in the women’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Cabral’s third ediiton of the Olympics. In fact, “Las Guerreras”  were the only team which lost all the five matches played at Paris 2024 and are heading home with nothing to cheer about.

Many of the Spain players who left the South Paris Arena 6 for the last time were in tears. Cabral was somehow at peace, as the curtain fell over a decorated career, which saw her play in six different countries.

“Right now it's a mix of feelings, because I was not able to make the dream come true. But I'm happy with the path I've had, for the years I've given with this national team or at club level too. I am leaving proud of the work I did and it's true that the end of the Olympic Games comes with a sour taste, because we didn't achieve our goal, but I'm not going to let this last part compromise the whole process for several years,” says Cabral.

It is never easy for a player to end her career, so maybe Cabral had something in store, like a comeback? A change of mind?
“I still I can still play a few years, from what I am feeling. But tThere's no going back, there's no going back. My son is five years old and I think it's time to enjoy my life with my family, since I've been away from home for many years. I am focusing on living a life without playing handball,” adds the Spain left back.

Cabral’s story is somewhat of an inspiration for many. Born in Lisbon, from parents of Cape Verdean origins, the star switched her allegiance to Spain in 2012, feeling that she can make a difference at the national team level, like she did at club level.

She was a true globetrotter, a journeywoman, who at the age of 22 years old had her first experience outside Portugal or Spain, in Romania, at Rulmentul Brașov. Then she went to play in Spain, Romania (again), Germany, France, Russia, France (again), Romania (again), back to Spain and France (for the third time).

But now, Cabral’s aim is to settle in Valencia, Spain, after the end of the Olympics and find a new challenge, which might seem totally different than handball.

“It is not about scoring goals anymore, it's more about the collective play, about having fun, because we have a mix of young players and some more experienced ones and today we have a lot of emotions, not just me personally, but also some other players who probably have the last Olympic Games,” adds Cabral, who was Spain's second best scorer at Paris 2024, with 15 goals.

One of the key reasons for Barbosa ending her career was to spend more time with her family, therefore some other position in handball – like a coach or a sporting director - is hard to imagine. But Cabral already has her sights set on what she wants to do.

“I want to study to become a police officer. Why so?I think it comes from the family, I have my brother who is also a police officer, I have my uncles who are also working in the police, I don't know, I think it comes like that, it's one of the little thoughts I've had for a long time and now that I've left handball I think it's a good option too,” says the left back.

Will she be as good as a handball player?

“I hope so,” smiles Cabral, not before being asked one more handball question, regarding the future of this Spain team, which needs a restart after a disappointing outing at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“It's complicated, we have to keep working, we have to have an even stronger pool of players to select from. I think the level is a little dropping, because we don't have any teams in the big European club competitions and after all, I hope that in the long run for the ASO some teams could be in some competition. That would help us have a little more rhythm in the games so players can improve. The ask is big, but I believe that in the future the team will return through giving good joy,” concludes Cabral.