Mikkel is moving home

Aalborg Håndbold made waves around the handball world on Thursday morning as reports emerged that they will sign reigning Olympic and world champion Mikkel Hansen from Paris Saint-Germain in 2022.

The news that arguably the biggest name in the sport has signed a three-year deal and will return to Denmark after 10 years abroad was confirmed by the club on Thursday afternoon.

The three-time IHF World Player of the Year has been synonymous with the rise of PSG, having joined them from AG København in 2012. Since then, he has led the club to seven French titles as they became regular contenders in the EHF Champions League.

At the age of 33, Hansen shows no signs of slowing down, having just been awarded the MVP of January’s World Championship in Egypt, where he and Denmark won their second consecutive gold medal.

“I am really looking forward to returning to Danish handball. Aalborg Håndbold is a very exciting club that has achieved great results on the international stage.

“I still have huge ambitions, and I believe that I can help the club take another step up the European ladder,” said Mikkel Hansen in a statement on the club’s website.

Aalborg’s ambitions become loftier

This signing is a major coup for the Danish champions, who have not been shy about their ambition to break into the upper echelons of Europe’s top-flight club competition. Bringing Mikkel Hansen back to Denmark after a decade away is certain to give them a whole new level of attention and expectation.

“It is one of the biggest days in the history of Aalborg Håndbold. Mikkel is one of the absolute best players in the world, and he has been for many years,” says club director Jan Larsen.

“It’s a giant scoop for the club and I’m really looking forward to his arrival. We have for a long time been in a rapid development and with this signing we are now ready to set the bar even higher.”