Items18The creator’s order
  1. 1Magnus WislanderMagnus WislanderBorn 22 Feb 1964Centre back and later pivot, Sweden and THW Kiel. Wislander was voted the IHF's Player of the Century and holds Sweden's records for caps (386) and goals. He ran the play of the great Swedish side of the 1990s from centre back, then moved to pivot, the player who works among the defenders on the…0i
  2. 2Talant DujshebaevTalant DujshebaevBorn 2 Jun 1968Centre back, Soviet Union, Russia and Spain. Dujshebaev played for four national teams as the map of Europe changed, winning Olympic gold with the Unified Team in 1992, and was a playmaker known for slowing or speeding the game at will. That reading of tempo carried into coaching: he built Kielce…0i
  3. 3Jackson RichardsonJackson RichardsonBorn 14 Jun 1969Centre back, France. Richardson was IHF World Player of the Year in 1995 and won world titles in 1995 and 2001, and was voted most valuable player at the World Championships of 1990 and 1995. Small for a back-court player, he relied on quick feints and passes to the pivot rather than long-range…0i
  4. 4Anja AndersenAnja AndersenBorn 15 Feb 1969Playmaker, Denmark. Andersen was IHF World Player of the Year in 1997 and won Olympic, world and European titles with the Danish side that dominated women's handball in the 1990s. Her improvisation, including passes and shots that defenders did not expect, made her one of the first stars of the…0i
  5. 5Ólafur StefánssonÓlafur StefánssonBorn 3 Jul 1973Right back, Iceland. Stefánsson led a country of a few hundred thousand people to Olympic silver in 2008 and won the Champions League four times with Magdeburg and Ciudad Real. A left-hander on the right side, he was famous for unorthodox passes and shots from angles defenders had not covered, the…0i
  6. 6Ivano BalićIvano BalićBorn 1 Apr 1979Centre back, Croatia. Nicknamed "the Handball Mozart", Balić won the 2003 world title and 2004 Olympic gold and was voted most valuable player at five consecutive major tournaments. His speed of thought, dummies and no-look passes to the pivot and wings made him the defining centre back of the…0i
  7. 7Thierry OmeyerThierry OmeyerBorn 2 Nov 1976Goalkeeper, France. Omeyer won two Olympic golds and five world titles and was IHF World Player of the Year in 2008, a rare honour for a goalkeeper. He was a student of opponents, studying shooters' habits so that he was already moving to the right corner, and his saves were the base of the French…0i
  8. 8Nikola KarabatićNikola KarabatićBorn 11 Apr 1984Centre back and left back, France. Karabatić won three Olympic golds, the last in 2024, plus several world and European titles, and was IHF World Player of the Year three times. He could shoot, pass and defend in the middle of the block, and his decisions in the final minutes of tight matches, when…0i
  9. 9Anita GörbiczAnita GörbiczBorn 13 May 1983Centre back, Hungary and Győr. Görbicz, known as "the Queen of Handball", was IHF World Player of the Year in 2005 and spent her club career at Győr, helping turn it into a Champions League winner. Not tall for a back-court player, she controlled the tempo with quick one-two passes and well-timed…0i
  10. 10Katrine LundeKatrine LundeBorn 30 Mar 1980Goalkeeper, Norway. Lunde holds records for the most gold medals, the most appearances at major tournaments and the most caps for Norway, with Olympic, world and European titles. Her reading of shooters, staying big and waiting rather than diving early, made her the last line of a Norwegian side…0i