Voting opens for Men’s EHF EURO 2024 All-star Team

The final, official Men’s EHF EURO 2024 All-star Team will be calculated by 40 per cent of the votes received by fans; the remaining 60 per cent is decided by a panel of EHF experts. The Most Valuable Player award will also be selected by a panel of experts within the European Handball Federation.

The players have been nominated on the basis of their performances during the tournament so far – and not just based on their goal-scoring feats. Defending, blocking, the number of assists and the players’ reactions in key moments have also been taken into consideration.

They have been placed in positions based on where they have featured most during the tournament and not necessarily those positions submitted by the national federations prior to the tournament.

Men’s EHF EURO 2024 All-star Team shortlists

Goalkeeper

The goalkeeper shortlist includes four players making their EHF EURO debuts this year as well as two previous EHF EURO champions, Andreas Wolff and Andreas Palicka.

Austria – Constantin Möstl
Croatia – Dominik Kuzmanovic
Denmark – Emil Nielsen
France – Samir Bellahcene
Germany – Andreas Wolff
Sweden – Andreas Palicka

Left wing

Often charged with taking penalties as well as scoring from the field, the left wings nominated have shone with creative shots and team leadership.

Austria – Sebastian Frimmel
Denmark – Emil Jakobsen
Iceland – Bjarki Mar Elisson
Netherlands – Rutger ten Velde
Norway – Alexandre Blonz
Sweden – Hampus Wanne

Left back

Legends of their teams such as Nikola Bilyk and Nikola Karabatic are joined in the left back shortlist by up-and-coming stars, including the top scorer of the tournament after the main round, Martim Costa of Portugal.

Austria – Nikola Bylik
Denmark – Simon Pytlick
France – Nikola Karabatic
Germany – Julian Köster
Portugal – Martim Costa
Slovenia – Borut Mackovsek

Centre back

These six playmakers have led from the front, racking up the minutes on court, defining strategy for their teams and both scoring and assisting goals in every game.

Austria – Lukas Hutecek
France – Nedim Remili
Germany – Juri Knorr
Netherlands – Luc Steins
Slovenia – Aleks Vlah
Sweden – Jim Gottfridsson

Right back

Although the shortlisted right backs all have a range of playing styles, one thing is sure – they are goal-scoring machines for their teams and essential to attack.

Denmark – Mathias Gidesl
France – Dika Mem
Hungary – Gábor Ancsin
Iceland – Ómar Ingi Magnusson
Portugal – Francisco Costa
Netherlands – Niels Versteijnen

Right wing

Nimble and skilled, the right wing candidates for the All-star Team have – like their counterparts on the left – played a role in scoring from the field and the penalty line, and shone in both.

Austria – Robert Weber
Croatia – Mario Sostaric
Germany – Timo Kastening
Portugal – Pedro Portela
Slovenia – Gasper Marguc
Sweden – Sebastian Karlsson

Line player

A good line player is key to both attack and defence and that’s the case for the six stars in the running here, who have stood firm against their opponents and broken through to score as well.

Austria – Tobias Wagner
Denmark – Magnus Saugstrup
France – Ludovic Fabregas
Germany – Johannes Golla
Hungary – Bence Bánhidi
Portugal – Luís Frade

Best defender

France’s captain Luka Karabatic joins his brother Nikola in the running for the All-star Team as one of the six candidates for best defender; those players who might not have scored many goals of their own, but who have stopped their opponents at every turn.

Croatia – Veron Nacinovic
Denmark – Magnus Saugstrup
France – Luka Karabatic
Germany – Julian Köster
Hungary – Adrián Sipos
Sweden – Oscar Bergendahl

Photos © Kolektiff Images