EHF Excellence Awards 2025

European Handball Federation

Every year, the EHF Excellence Awards honour the best players — both male and female — in each playing position: goalkeeper, left wing, left back, centre back, right back, right wing line player and best defender. Those eight players form the 'Team of the Season'.

Out of these eight positions a season MVP is selected for both genders. Furthermore, the respective season's two best beach handball players – one man, one woman – of the past season as well as the best male and the best female young players are awarded.

Let's look in more detail at who you have helped choose for the Teams of the Season 2024/25.

Left wings

Denmark's Emil Jakobsen and France's Chloé Valentini are both selected for a second year running. This season, Jakobsen helped Denmark to a world title and SG Flensburg-Handewitt to the EHF European League Men trophy, while Valentini was France's top scorer at the Women's EHF EURO 2024.

Left backs

Both left backs of the season are EHF Champions League winners this year - French player Estelle Nze Minko picked up her second title in Budapest with Györi Audi ETO KC, while Sweden's Felix Claar won his first with SC Magdeburg in Cologne.

Centre backs

This year's centre backs of the season are both game-changers for their sides: Henny Reistad was the top scorer of the EHF Champions League Women season with Team Esbjerg and won her third European title in December for Norway; Gisli Kristjansson was named MVP of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 after leading Magdeburg to victory.

Right backs

Mathias Gidsel missed out on an EHF Champions League title this season, but was the top scorer and also won the World Championship with Denmark. On the women's side, Dione Housheer has been outstanding for Györ, and was their top scorer on the way to her first Champions League trophy.

Right wings

Another Györ player and Champions League champion, Viktória Gyori-Lukács also shone as Hungary won their first EHF EURO medal for 12 years in December. Mario Sostaric also picked up an important international medal, silver for Croatia at the IHF World Championship where he was the All-star right wing.

Line players

Kari Brattset Dale receives two nods this year, as line player and best defender, showing her importance both for European champions Norway and Champions League champions Györ. Ludovic Fabregas won world championship bronze for France, and was an important part of the One Veszprém squad in their Champions League campaign.

Goalkeepers

They are certainly the best in the game right now - Barça goalkeeper Emil Nielsen was unstoppable for his club and country this season, making the most saves in the Champions Leage and at the 2025 World Championship. Evergreen Katrine Lunde won her seventh EHF EURO at the age of 44, and after switching to Odense Håndbold mid-season, was pivotal in their second place in Budapest.

Defenders

Kari Brattset Dale is joined on the best defender list by Magnus Saugstrup, a wall for Denmark and SC Magdeburg throughout the season - he made an astonishing 13 steals as Denmark won the world title in January.