The handball world championship in germany and denmark will also be a tournament of faces.
Superstars such as dane mikkel hansen, the croatian domagoj duvnjak and also germany’s world-class left-footed pigeon uwe gensheimer have been shaping the sport for years. Other players have the potential to become superstars. Who should we look out for in the tournament of 10. Until 27. January pay special attention?
MIKKEL HANSEN: shaggy hair, shaggy beard, wide headband – the 31-year-old top pro from paris saint-germain is recognizable on the pitch simply by his handsome appearance. But hansen stands out as well. Hardly any other back-row player in the world combines scoring power and passing ability like dane does. If the hune has too much space, the ball is usually in it. The ambitious danish team’s best hopes rest on him.
UWE GENSHEIMER: the world’s best left wing: gensheimer has held this title for many years now. When hansen’s parisian teammate has a good day, he puts almost every ball in the net. And the good days have outweighed the bad ones in the 32-year-old’s career so far. In the national jersey, however, he was weak in the youngest rough tournaments. National coach christian prokop nevertheless stands by his captain. Whether he can win the first major title of his career depends in no small measure on himself.
SANDER SAGOSEN: like gensheimer and hansen, the 23-year-old norwegian also plays for PSG. That alone can be seen as a sign of top international quality. The director’s qualities resemble those of hansen’s. Unlike the experienced german playmaker martin strobel, for example, sagosen can not only develop his team’s attacking play, but also exudes a scoring threat.
DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK: THW kiel’s 1.98-meter, 100-kilogram powerhouse is one of the croatians’ most important players. The world handball player of 2013 is the leader and manager of the co-favorites. After being forced to retire early with an injury at last year’s european championships, the veteran wants to have another go in his chosen sporting homeland.
VINCENT GERARD: the frenchman was named best goalkeeper of the tournament at both the successful 2017 world cup and the 2018 european championships. On his best days, he drives opposing throwers to despair. Stop gerard again strong, the chances of the french to win the world cup again will certainly not decrease.
DIKA MEM: young, highly talented, world champion: experts predict a great future for the 21-year-old back of spanish top club FC barcelona – but he has already achieved a great deal. In 2018 mem was named the best young player in the world.
ALEX DUJSHEBAEV: his father talant dujshebaev was already one of the greatest in his sport as a two-time world handball player. His 26-year-old son played a key role in the spanish team’s victory in the european championships a year ago as a dangerous back-rower. Now he is aiming for his first world championship title.