Marin Šipić (born April 29, 1996 in Bad Soden, Germany) is a Croatian national handball player and circular striker. He plays for the Swiss club HC Kriens-Luzern (since 2022). In the Croatian senior national team, he won gold at the 2018 Mediterranean Games and silver at the European Championship in 2020 and the World Championship in 2025. Although he was born in Germany, Marin grew up in Split and among the people of Split call him “golden Marinom” because of the important goal with which he led Croatia to the semi-finals of the WC 2025. He is 190 cm tall and a strong pivot whose central position and goals scored strengthened his status in the national team.
Early life and beginnings of career
Marin Šipić spent his childhood in Dalmatia. As a boy, he first trained football – for four years he played as a midfielder in Vranjica, even with the future football representative Nikola Vlašić. However, due to frequent pneumonia from playing in the rain and cold, he left football and switched to handball. His father was also connected with handball, so Marin got to know the sport that he later played early.
After switching to handball, in 2009 he enrolled in the school of the Balić-Metličić handball academy, where he was among the first to coach Žarko Balić (father of the famous Ivan Balić). From this academy, he moved to the second division club GRK Split, for which he played until he was 18 years old. At that time, he was also finishing his high school education in Varaždin, where he finished the fourth grade after receiving an invitation to play for Varaždin. He briefly studied sports management in Čakovec, but gave up due to a busy schedule.
Club career
After successful performances in Varaždin, in 2017, Marin Šipić joined the Nexe Handball Club from Našice. He was coached there by Hrvoje Horvat (former Croatian coach), who followed him from the junior national team. Horvat rated him highly, considering that Šipić could one day become The best Croatian pivot ever.
After three seasons in NEXE (2017–2019), Šipić signed a three-year contract with the Zagreb team RK PPD Zagreb (today RK Zagreb) in May 2019. In Zagreb, he continued to play at a high level, including appearances in the EHF Champions League. In 2022, he moved to Switzerland, signing for HC Kriens-Luzern.
In short, Marin Šipić’s career includes the following important clubs and periods:
- GRK Varaždin (2014–2017) – Affirmation in the Croatian Handball League.
- RK Nexe Našice (2017–2019) – First team in the position of pivot, development under the coaching leadership of Hrvoje Horvat.
- PPD Zagreb (2019–2022) – Performances in domestic championships and the EHF Champions League.
- HC Kriens-Luzern (2022– ) – current club in Switzerland; Šipić plays in the EHF League of Europe for this team.
Representative career and successes
Marin Šipić was a standard member of the younger Croatian selections, and he experienced the first gathering of the senior national team in 2016. He made his debut for the senior national team in November 2018 in the qualification for the 2020 European Championship against Switzerland. He was very effective on his debut – he successfully scored all three goals on three attacking passes. After that, he regularly won his place in the national team.
With the senior type of Croatia, Šipić achieved significant medals: gold at the 2018 Mediterranean Games (Tarragona, Spain), silver at the 2020 European Championship (co-organized in Austria, Norway and Sweden) and silver at the 2025 World Championship (Croatia, Denmark, Norway). At the 2025 World Cup, his great action and goal against Hungary took Croatia to the semi-finals, which is why the local public remembers him for the “goal miracle”.
By January 2024, Šipić recorded 88 games and scored 181 goals for the Croatian national team. This confirms his importance in the team – he is often a search for actions and a reliable solution in defense. The greatest successes of Marin’s representative career are summarized below:
- Mediterranean Games 2018 (Tarragona) – gold with the Croatian national team.
- European Championship 2020 (Austria/Norway/Sweden) – silver.
- World Cup 2025 (Croatia/Danish/Norway) – silver.
Personal life and interesting things
Marin Šipić is a family child – his grandfather called Miro, and his grandmother called Marija. Unfortunately, grandfather Mira did not experience Marin’s fame, but his grandmother was with him until 2024. Marin dedicated his great medal from the WC 2025 to Grandma Marija and Dido Mir.
In addition to handball, Šipić has been playing by the sea since childhood. One interesting thing from his childhood is that as a small child he selflessly jumped with his family into the sea on Split’s Kaštelet beach, so younger bathers quickly retreated – Marin radiated energy and is a favorite among relatives. In his free time, he is passionate about computer games.
In school, Marin graduated from the General Gymnasium in Varaždin and started his studies in sports management in Čakovec, but due to intensive obligations of athletes, he stopped his education after a short time. In a sentimental sense, his relationship with Andrea is mentioned in the media, but Marin does not reveal much about privacy. It is important that he had strong support from his parents and family from the first days of his career.
Under the leadership of coach Horvat in NEXE, Marin gained recognition as a reliable pivot. Hrvoje Horvat even called him the potentially best Croatian pivot in the history of handball. Such words confirm that Šipić’s effort and talent is recognized and appreciated among the most expert experts.
Conclusion
Marin Šipić is among the most promising Croatian handball players of his generation. He has already achieved notable results with the national team and has proven himself in the Adriatic and European competition. With a height of 190 cm and an aggressive pivot-style game, it seems that Šipić will remain an important name for Croatian handball in the long term. For sports followers, Marin’s story is an example of how systematic work and dedication from regional frameworks can reach the world level.
Follow the further competitions of the Croatian national handball team and Marino’s performances at the club HC Kries-Luzern – we certainly have many more exciting moments ahead of us with this top-notch pivot player.
Sources: Details about Marin’s career, club and representative successes are taken from proven sources, including Wikipedia, the Croatian Handball Association and media sources.
