BIOGRAPHY
Michael Guigou started his handball journey young, picking up a ball for the first time aged five at his home club, where his parents were both coaches. In 1999, aged 17, he joined Montpellier Handball - where he would spend almost all his playing career.
Guigou was a key part of Montpellier’s victory in the EHF Champions League in 2003, scoring 10 times in the club’s comeback win in the second leg against Portland San Antonio. He was captain of the team when they lifted the trophy for the second time 15 years later, beating HBC Nantes in the final at the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne in 2018.
After Montpellier ended his contract in 2019, Guigou joined USAM Nîmes Gard - initially for two years, before extending the contract for a final year ahead of his retirement in 2022.
Internationally, Guigou is one of the most decorated players in the world and certainly in France, with four world championship titles, three Olympic titles and three EHF EURO titles. He made his debut for France in 2002 and played his first major tournament at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. He led the team for several years towards the end of his career, including at the Tokyo Olympic Games where France again won gold.
Guigou scored his 1,000th goal for France in April 2021 during the EHF EURO 2022 Qualifiers. On his retirement, he had played 307 matches for France, scoring 1,021 goals.
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