Rising star Arroyo aims for EHF Finals with Bera Bera

The last months have been a whirlwind for Carmen Arroyo Pimienta. The Spanish left back made her debut in the senior national team as a 20-year-old prodigy and was one of the players who impressed in Spain’s line-up, announcing herself as one of the building blocks of a team in the middle of a rebuild.

At club level, she was snapped up by champions Super Amara Bera Bera in 2023, the team which identified her potential and helped Arroyo improve step by step, taking a cautious approach.

But the left back emerged as one of the top players in the roster in the EHF European League Women, being decisive for Bera Bera when the Spanish team made it through two tight qualification rounds – against Sport Lisboa e Benfica (62:60 on aggregate) and MKS FunFloor Lublin (45:43), respectively – and secured their group phase ticket.

It was the first time Bera Bera managed to get through the qualifying stages of the EHF European League, after failing to do so in each of the previous four seasons.

So far, Arroyo has scored 30 goals in the second-tier European competition, being the third best scorer for the Spanish side, which finished second in group D, behind German group winners HSG Bensheim/Auerbach but ahead of Fredrikstad Ballklubb of Denmark and French side Paris 92.

Next up in the quarter-finals? Another German team, HSG Blomberg-Lippe, with the first leg scheduled for Sunday (live on EHFTV at 18:00 CET).

“I think the last months have been amazing. I have got a lot of new opportunities and I have learnt a lot, which was excellent for me,” Arroyo says.

“With Bera Bera, I really got the chance to grow as a player, therefore it is really exciting to be here, it is like a dream, to be part of a team which plays a quarter-final in the European League.”

Indeed, a season which the left back branded as “historic” has the potential of being the most successful yet in Europe for the Spanish side.

The last time Super Amara Bera Bera were in the quarter-finals of an European competition was in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 2012/13; their only semi-final also came in the Cup Winners’ Cup, in the 2007/08 season.

“This competition was a big objective for us and just being here is amazing. We have been playing good, we have delivered some good wins, and I think we have the potential of going even further,” Arroyo adds.

In the group phase, Bera Bera won at home against Fredrikstad and both at home and away against Paris, but lost both confrontations with Bensheim, by two goals each time.

“I think Blomberg-Lippe, our opponents in the quarter-finals, are a strong side. They won five matches and lost a single one so far, therefore they are a good team. But we will fight until the end to make it to the semi-finals,” Arroyo says.

Over the past week, Bera Bera finetuned their preparations by winning the Spanish Cup with a 30:21 final victory over Beti Onak. Arroyo was ecstatic for adding another trophy to the team’s cabinet, but her focus is now on the next matches.

Having turned 21 this month, Arroyo is one of the most promising talents in women’s handball. Having made her debut in the senior national team last October, she also impressed in the younger age categories when Spain won the W19 EHF Championship 2023.

Her exquisite performances also enrolled her into EHF’s Respect Your Talent programme, which has helped the Spanish left back become better in all aspects of life.

“We have talked about handball, but also about the life outside of handball. I have learnt a lot about contracts, about taking the right steps in life, but also I had a chance to see what former players said about handball, which is always amazing. Yes, this helped me develop,” Arroyo says.

The left back is also thinking about the grand scheme of things and not only about handball, as she enrolled in studying psychology, a subject she has always been interested in from a young age.

“I like it a lot. Now I study online, because it can also help my handball career and do both at the same time. But it is interesting, I was always fascinated by it, and I think the playing career has a shelf life and you need to be prepared for what follows,” she says.

“And psychology is also important in handball, in the sport, therefore it is interesting to see it in a broader way.”

Photos © Oscar Araujo/Super Amara Bera Bera, Fredrikstad Ballklubb, Isabel Cutileiro