“Super happy”: Langaro faces big challenge at Dinamo

After he turned 29 years old in March, it is safe to say that Brazilian left back Haniel Langaro is in his prime. He came a long way after making his debut in the EHF Champions League in the 2015/16 season at Spanish side BM Logroño La Rioja, when he was only 20 years old and fresh from arriving from Brazil.

Nine years on, and Langaro is a three-time winner of the European premium competition with Barça, the team which snapped him up in 2019 after the Brazilian left back had played three seasons for French side Dunkerque HGL.

But now, after winning the third title with Barça, Langaro is facing a new challenge. The 1.96-meter tall left back moved to Romania, where he signed for Dinamo Bucuresti. The reigning domestic champions return to the EHF Champions League after a one-year hiatus.

“I’m super happy to be here. It is a new and great challenge in my career. And above all, to be able to play in the Champions League again, which for me is the most difficult and beautiful competition at club level there is, really feels amazing,” says Langaro.

Of course, leaving the titleholders can be seen as a step back. But for Langaro, making the switch to Dinamo means that he will surely get more playing time, enabling him to deliver better performances.

He is not the first player to make the switch from Barça to Dinamo, as the floodgates opened when legendary Barça coach Xavi Pascual signed for the Romanian champions in 2021. He spent three seasons with the club before leaving to Veszprém HC this summer.

Players like Cédric Sorhaindo or Ali Zein followed suit. Langaro has become the third Dinamo player who has signed directly from Barça, while another former legend of the Spanish club, David Barrufet, became the team manager in 2022.

“I chose to leave Barcelona to play again and feel important. I think that here is the ideal place, it's a great team and we will play in the Champions League. My goal is to return to being the player that I am and help the team win everything. Bucharest is a pretty big city and there is everything. My family and I have totally adapted here,” Langaro adds.

Dinamo have undergone a makeover. After Pascual moved to Veszprém this summer, convinced by the Hungarian champions’ project, another Spanish coach took over: David Davis. It signals a new era for Dinamo, who are back in the continental top flight after making the EHF Finals Men last season.

“I didn't know him. But the Brazilian players who have worked with him have spoken to me quite well about him. He is a very good coach and I am delighted to be able to work with him. He is very demanding in what he does and a person who always wants the best for the players,” Langaro says about Davis.

However, the challenge for Dinamo will be big, facing some strong teams in group A – including Füchse Berlin, the team they lost against twice in the EHF European League Men group matches last autumn, as well as Paris Saint-Germain Handball and Pascal’s new club, Veszprém.

“It is definitely going to be hard. We are not the favourites in the group and that is clear, but our goal is to compete as much as possible. We want to make it out of this group and will surely give everything to achieve that,” the Brazilian left back says.

One big advantage Dinamo have is their die-hard fans, which have lighted up the matches of their favourites in past years and are expected to do the same now, as the team returns and aims for greatness, part of their project to become one of the best teams in Europe.

“Yes, it is a fan base that follows the team in every game and I love it. I am looking forward to meeting them in our arena and being able to celebrate the victories with them,” Langaro concludes.

His first opportunity to play an EHF Champions League match in front of the home fans comes right in round 1, as Dinamo are set to host Danish side Fredericia Håndbold Klub, the only debutants in the competition this season, in Bucharest on Thursday 12 September.

all photos © 2024 Dinamo Bucuresti