Danish delight at the EHF Excellence Awards Gala
Landin, who was the All-Star goalkeeper of the European premium competition five times and is a two-time IHF World Player of the Year in 2019 and 2021, landed another individual trophy in his star-studded career after making the All-Star team at the EHF EURO 2014.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper became a world champion for the third time in January, being integral in Denmark’s success on the world stage, while also becoming a German league champion with THW Kiel for the third time and reaching the quarter-finals of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, where the German powerhouse was eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain Handball.
Lindberg, 41, showed no signs of dropping his otherworldly level in the 2022/23 season, becoming world champion for the second time with Denmark and also securing the EHF European League Men title with Füchse Berlin, his fourth major international title. The right wing also became the all-time goal scorer of the German Bundesliga this season, getting closer to the 3000-goal mark in the domestic competition.
Another Füchse Berlin player, Mathias Gidsel, added to his already impressive collection of individual trophies. The 24-year-old right back sealed his first major club international trophy, the EHF European League Men, while also becoming the top goal scorer and MVP of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship where he sealed the gold medal. Gidsel also made the All-Star team in every major international competition he played in so far: the EHF EURO 2022; the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the 2021 and 2023 World Championship editions.
Barça players seal three awards
Despite a heartbreaking loss against SC Magdeburg in the semi-finals of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, Barça were still one of the best clubs in this season’s European top competition, finishing the season in third place with 16 wins, one draw and one loss.
Therefore, it was just expected that some of the players nominated for the EHF Excellence Awards were going to seal the win in some categories, and three of them managed to snap up the awards – line player Ludovic Fabregas, defender Thiagus Petrus Gonçalves dos Santos and centre back Domen Makuc as the rookie of the season.
Fabregas, who will join rivals Telekom Veszprém HC this summer, has been amazing for the Spanish powerhouse on both sides of the ball, boasting his best-ever season in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League with 71 goals. He was also the leader in terms of blocks, with 14 this season, while also winning the silver medal with France at the 2023 World Championship, a tournament where he was named the All-Star line player.
Thiagus Petrus Gonçalves dos Santos has embodied Barça’s strength over the last seasons, being a key cog in their success. He was also one of the best blockers in the European premium competition this season with nine blocks, forming a formidable partnership with Fabregas.
Last, but not least, Makuc seems to be flourishing in Barça’s setup, having more and more minutes on the court over the last seasons. At 22 years old, he just had his best season in terms of scoring with 34 goals, and was also instrumental in the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 by scoring seven goals against Magdeburg and PSG.
The final two positions in the best team at the EHF Excellence Awards were snapped up by PSG’s centre back, Luc Steins, and Zagreb’s left wing Timur Dibirov. Steins has been absolutely instrumental in PSG’s success this season, as the French side had the best attack in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League also due to Steins’ antics; the Dutch centre back had the largest number of assists in the competition, 103, 38 more than any other player this season.
Despite playing only 14 games due to HC PPD Zagreb’s elimination in the group phase, Dibirov finished in 14th place in the top scorer list with 79 goals, an average of 5.6 per game. One of the best in the season, he confirmed his status as one of the best left wings in the history of the European premium competition, having scored 1110 goals in 19 seasons, enough for fourth place in the all-time goal scorer standings.
Male Team of the Season:
Left wing: Timur Dibirov - RUS / HC PPD Zagreb
Left back: Simon Pytlick - DEN / GOG
Centre back: Luc Steins - NED / Paris Saint-Germain Handball
Right back: Mathias Gidsel – DEN / Füchse Berlin
Right wing: Hans Lindberg – DEN / Füchse Berlin
Line player: Ludovic Fabregas – FRA / Barça
Goalkeeper: Niklas Landin – DEN / THW Kiel
Defender: Thiagus Petrus – BRA / Barça
Rookie of the season: Domen Makuc (SLO/Barca) - 22 years
MVP Beach Handball: Gabriel Conceição – POR / EFE Os Tigres
