In the competitive world of elite sports, talent and effort are, in theory, the only standards to measure success. However, when a prominent last name enters the equation, the rules of the game can change. This seems to be the complex scenario in which Pablo Urdangarin finds himself.
At 23 years old, he is not only fighting to make a name for himself in Spanish handball, but also to dispel a shadow of doubt that hangs over his progress: the suspicion that his career could be deliberately held back by a power operating discreetly from the Palacio de la Zarzuela.
The young athlete has more than proved that his presence in Liga Asobal is not a matter of chance. His talent is undeniable and his commitment is total. However, a recent and painful disappointment has fueled the flames of a theory that circulates quietly among rumor mills: that King Felipe VI and Letizia would not look favorably on a media resurgence of the Urdangarin surname, still associated with the scandal involving his father, Iñaki Urdangarin.
a talent stalled by "invisible" forces
The 2024-2025 season has been one of consolidation for Pablo Urdangarin. Wearing the BM Granollers jersey, he has had a spectacular campaign, scoring 117 goals in 30 matches. His performance did not go unnoticed, placing him among the five finalists for the Best Right Wing award in the league, a recognition that shows his quality and potential.
The club's trust in him is absolute, as shown by his recent contract renewal through June 2026, news celebrated by those closest to him.
However, the major blow came with the draft for the Paris Olympic Games. Despite his excellent form and being one of the country's great prospects, his name did not appear on the final list for the Spanish national handball team. For an athlete who dreams of following in his father's Olympic footsteps, the exclusion was a hard blow to digest. This is where suspicions point directly to the Royal Household.
The theory holds that his presence on the national team would generate media attention on the Urdangarin surname that Zarzuela prefers to avoid at all costs, thus protecting the image of the Crown.
This alleged "veto" stands in stark contrast to the unconditional support Pablo receives from his family. His mother, Infanta Cristina, and his father, Iñaki Urdangarin, are regulars in the stands. His grandmothers, Queen Sofía and Claire Liebaert, and even his grandfather, Juan Carlos I, have also attended his matches.
His cousin, Victoria Federica, even mobilized her social media followers to vote for him in the league awards. On the other hand, the absence of the current monarchs, Felipe and Letizia, and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, from any of his sporting events is total and conspicuous.
deafening silence
Officially, there is no statement from the Royal Household on the matter. It is a calculated silence, a lack of gesture that, for many, confirms the veto hypothesis. Meanwhile, Pablo has focused on his work, showing admirable maturity. "Being compared to him[his father]means I'm doing something right. I think I'm a more agile, more fragile, smaller version. But he helps me a lot, especially with mental aspects, not so much technical ones. I always call him before matches," the player confessed, making it clear that his role model is purely athletic.
Is it fair that the future of a promising athlete is conditioned by his father's crimes? The shadow of the "Nóos case" is long, and it seems that Zarzuela's strategy to protect the institution is to keep the Urdangarin family in a perpetual second tier, far from any success that could be associated with the royal family.