Pintea emotional and excited ahead of last EURO dance

The CSM Bucuresti captain's comeback to international handball will be short but memorable. Pintea is set to retire at the end of the current season and the EHF EURO 2026 will be her final major tournament in the Romania jersey.

With the EURO just around the corner, Pintea is already feeling the emotions.

"For me, it's something truly special. I've played in many arenas in different countries and experienced the pressure of some very important matches. But playing a European Championship at home in front of Romanian fans at the end of my career means something completely different. I've always been proud to wear the Romanian jersey,” she says.

“No matter where I played at club level, the national team has always had a special place in my heart. I know how much Romanian fans love handball and how much energy they can give us. I want us to give them reasons to be proud and to see a team that fights with all its heart."

Romania will play at BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca, home to the country's largest indoor sports hall, with a capacity of 10,000 seats. The co-hosts will welcome Norway, Switzerland and North Macedonia in group B.

"Norway is one of the strongest teams in the world and we have to respect that. They have experience, quality and a winning mentality built over many years. But I've learnt something during my career: A match is never won before it starts. I don't want us to step onto the court feeling afraid or thinking too much about the champions we're facing,” says Pintea.

“I want us to play with respect, but also with courage. We need to be disciplined, help each other and fight for every ball. For me, the most important thing is to leave the court knowing we gave absolutely everything.”

With the top two teams from group B set to proceed to main round group I, which will be also played in BT Arena, Romania have additional motivation to finish in the top two.

"I believe we have a real chance to go through, but I don't like making calculations before playing the matches. I've seen many times in handball that big names don't win games. You have to work hard, stay focused and respect every opponent,” says Pintea.

"We have talented young players with a lot of energy together with experienced players. The most important thing is to become a real team. I believe a lot in the character of a group. Talent matters, but in difficult moments, what matters most is how much you're willing to fight for the teammate next to you.

“It's a huge motivation [the possibility of playing the main round in Cluj-Napoca]. To continue the competition at home, in front of our own people, would mean so much to us. I can already imagine a full arena, people singing, supporting us and living every moment of the game with us. But first, we have to earn the right to be there. I don't want us to look too far ahead before taking the first steps. If we make it, I believe the energy from the fans can become an extra player for us.”

When quizzed about the possibility of saying goodbye to the passionate Romanian supporters in Cluj-Napoca, Pintea breaks down:

"This is honestly one of the questions that makes me the most emotional. The national team has never been just a team for me. It has been a responsibility, a source of pride and a very important part of who I am. I've experienced incredible moments wearing the Romanian jersey, but also very painful ones. I've cried from happiness, I've cried from disappointment, I've played through pain and I've kept fighting even when things didn't go the way I wanted.

“The thought of wearing the Romanian jersey for the last time makes me very emotional. But I don't want to think of Cluj as the place where I say goodbye. I want to believe we can go further and that this goodbye will come as late as possible. And when that moment comes, I want to know that I left everything on the court.”

Romania’s last medal at a major tournament came back at the 2015 IHF World Championship, where Pintea & Co. finished third — just as Romania did at the EHF EURO 2010. But given the advantage of the home court and the quality within the squad, Pintea believes the co-hosts could reach those heights again.

"The bronze medal at the 2015 World Championship is one of the most beautiful memories of my career. But what I remember most isn't just the medal: It's how we fought for it. I know how much work, sacrifice and unity it takes to achieve something like that,” says Pintea.

“I believe Romania has talent. We have young players with great qualities and a lot of potential. But talent alone isn't enough to win a medal. You need confidence, discipline, character and, most importantly, you need to stay together when things get difficult. I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on this generation. I want us to believe in ourselves, work hard and have the courage to dream, because in 2015, we proved that sometimes you can achieve extraordinary things when you truly fight for your team."

Learning valuable lessons and life after handball

Watching Pintea play handball across the past decade has been like witnessing someone going through an out-of-body experience, driven by a burning desire in her eyes every time she steps on the court, as she always plays with her heart on her sleeve. When asked about how much she will miss that feeling once retirement beckons, Pintea says:

"I think this will be the hardest part, because I've never known how to play handball without emotion. I've never known how to step onto the court and not care deeply. I've lived every battle, every goal, every victory and every defeat with my whole heart. Sometimes maybe I've been too intense. Maybe I've felt things more deeply than I should have. But that's who I am.

“That fire in my eyes was never something I tried to show people. It came from inside me. From my love for handball, my desire to fight and everything I've been through to get here. I know I'll miss the adrenaline, the dressing room, my teammates, the sound of the fans and that feeling just before an important match. But I don't believe that fire inside me will disappear when I retire. I think I'll just have to learn how to carry it into something new. Because handball is what I've done for almost my entire life, but that fire is who I am."

Recently, Pintea announced that she is working on her autobiographical book, which is about "the beginnings, victories, sacrifices, vulnerabilities, personal battles and rebuilding that shaped both her career and the woman she is today.”

The EHF Champions League 2018/19 winner, who clinched third in the top flight with CSM earlier this year, does not hide the difficulties encountered when reliving her memories.

"Writing this book has been harder than I expected at times. On the court, I learnt to be strong, to fight and to get back up after every fall. But when I started looking back at my childhood, leaving home, loneliness, failures and the moments when I lost myself, I realised that some wounds never completely disappear. Some memories made me cry. There were things I had never spoken about so openly before.

“But I didn't want to write a book only about medals and trophies. People know the athlete. They see my strength, my intensity on the court and my passion. I want them to know the person behind all of that. The little girl who left her village at 16, who knew almost nothing about handball, but had an enormous desire to succeed. The woman who wins trophies, but sometimes feels lonely, vulnerable and unsure of herself.

“I don't want to look perfect in this book. I want to be real. For me, this book isn't just the story of a career. It's the story of a person who has fallen many times but has always found the strength to get back up."

Learning to accept defeats as part of being an athlete is one of the biggest lessons Pintea has taken from the game, and she is adamant that she will take that experience for the rest of her life.

"I think the biggest lesson I've learnt is not to let results define how I see myself. As a professional athlete, you naturally want to win, improve and meet everyone's expectations. For a long time, I was very hard on myself, especially when things didn't go as planned. Over the years, I've learnt to appreciate the work I put in, not just the final result.

“Of course, winning still matters to me, but I've also learnt to accept defeats — learn from them and move forward. That's something I'll take with me beyond handball: Always give your best, but don't let one result define everything you've worked for."

With the Women's EHF EURO 2026 coming up and CSM Bucuresti aiming to return to the EHF FINAL4, Pintea targets a successful end to her career on both the international and club level.

"Of course I want to win. I've been competitive my whole life and I don't think that will ever change. At club level, I want to contribute as much as possible to the team's success and fight for every trophy we can win. With the national team, I want us to go as far as possible at the European Championship and give Romanian fans moments they can be proud of,” concludes Pintea.

“To finish my career with a medal would be incredible. It would be a dream. But if I've learnt anything over the years, it's that you can't always control the final result. What you can control is how hard you work, how much you give and how much of yourself you leave on the court. For me, the perfect farewell would be to walk off the court healthy, with my head held high, my heart full and the feeling that I gave everything I had.”

Photos © kolektiff images/Jozo Cabraja/Sasa Pahic Szabo/Axel Heimken; Sabin Malisevschi / FRH