Romanian handball star Cristina Neagu returns home to play for CSM Bucuresti

Cristina Neagu, who was voted World Handball Player of the Year by the International Handball Federation in 2010 and 2015, will return home to play for CSM Bucuresti, the municipality's club, Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea announced on Monday. Neagu, who has been playing for ZRK Buducnost (Montenegro) since 2014, signed a two-year contract with CSM Bucuresti. She will be officially presented during a press conference scheduled for early-March. “I am happy to get back home, it is the first time when I have the chance to play at the highest level in my hometown. One of my dreams is to win the Champions League with a Romanian team and I strongly believe that I have this chance with CSM Bucuresti,” Cristina Neagu said. CSM Bucuresti will pay Cristina Neagu some EUR 300,000 per season, which is one of the biggest salaries in Romanian sports, according to local Gazeta Sporturilor. Born on August 26, 1988, Neagu began her career at Rulmentul Brasov (2006-2009), making her debut when she was only 18 years old. A year later, she was summoned to the senior team of Romania, being part of the team that played at the World Championship in France. Between 2009 and 2013, Cristina Neagu played for Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, winning a total of four gold medals in Women's Handball National League. In 2014, after Oltchim disappeared, she decided to sign with ZRK Buducnost, a team with which she won the Champions League in 2015. The International Handball Federation voted Cristina Neagu World Handball Player of the Year in 2010 and 2015, but the Romanian player also won the title of Best Romanian Handball Player in 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016. She was also voted the best women’s handball player in the world on Handball-planet.com, both in 2015 and 2016. CSM Bucharest won the EHF Champions League in 2016. Star Cristina Neagu shines as Romania reach best four women’s handball teams in the world Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com