The Santiago-born wingman became the fifth person born on the Island to play in Germany’s top division.
14ymedio, Andy Lans, Matanzas, August 29, 2026 – A new Cuban in the best handball league in the world! Dariel García Rivera has become the fifth person born in Cuba to play in the German Bundesliga when, this Thursday, he saw action in the opening round of the 2026-2027 season.
The 29-year-old wingman played exactly 19 minutes and 41 seconds in his team MT Melsungen’s 31-33 loss to Füchse Berlin. The young man from Santiago de Cuba also took the opportunity to score his first goals in his new league, with two goals from three shots, before the crowd at the Max Schmeling Hall in the German capital.
Dariel’s signing with Melsungen is no coincidence. Between 2018 and 2026, he played eight seasons in Spain’s ASOBAL League. He played the 2018-2019 season with Ciudad de Logroño, wore the colors of ADC Guadalajara between 2019 and 2021, and then established himself with CD Bidasoa Irún for five campaigns. His record at the highest level of Spanish handball stands at 197 matches and 501 goals. Now, in Germany, the Cuban international will have a one-year contract, with the possibility of competing again in the EHF European League, a continental competition in which he has accumulated 46 appearances and 128 goals throughout his career.
The young man from Santiago de Cuba also took the opportunity to score his first goals in his new league, with two goals from three shots
The presence of Cubans in the German Handball Bundesliga began with the legendary Julián Durañona, who was part of THSV Eisenach between 1997 and 2000, played for TuS N-Lübbecke in 2000-2001, and returned to the league in 2002-2003 with HSG Wetzlar. In total, the man who would later become an Icelandic international scored 596 goals in 136 matches in the competition.
In the 2001-2002 season, Guantánamo native Julio Fis experienced one of THW Kiel’s 23 titles, making it the most successful institution in the Bundesliga. The naturalized Spaniard contributed 83 goals in 25 matches on that occasion.
Another Cuban who became an international for Iceland, Jaliesky García, played six seasons in Germany’s top division with FRISCH AUF! Göppingen between 2003 and 2009, contributing 498 goals in 150 matches.
Rolando Urios González, son of the legendary Granma-born pivot Rolando Urios, had a brief stint of seven Bundesliga matches with Füchse Berlin between 2017 and 2019. Currently, at 27 years of age, he continues his career in Spanish handball.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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