Handball Three-time world handball player
Handball star Mikkel Hansen is ending his career
As of: 3:03 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
Powerful throw: Mikkel Hansen also recently proved his class at the European Championships in Germany
Quelle: picture alliance/Marco Wolf
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He was a world handball player three times, he led the Danes to World Cup gold three times in a row, and to Olympic victory in 2016: Mikkel Hansen is one of the greats. Now he’s quitting at the end of the season – a year before the end of his contract. The past time was too hard. A dream remains.
The Olympic Games in Paris this summer could be the crowning achievement for one of the greats of handball – and in his long-time adopted home: Mikkel Hansen, Danish superstar, played for Paris St. Germain for ten years before returning to his homeland in 2022 and signed with Aalborg HB. A gifted and powerful backfield player who helped his clubs and the Danish national team achieve numerous successes. And who has now announced the end of his career.
It should be over at the end of the current season, although his contract in Aalborg runs until 2025. The 36-year-old said this at a press conference on Wednesday. “After almost 20 years in which I had the privilege of making the most beautiful hobby in the world my job, I am now ready to draw a line under the sun and say thank you for this time,” said the man with long hair and the distinctive headband. “This summer is a good time to put my shoes aside. Finally, he would “very much” like to take part in the Olympic Games in Paris.
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Hansen was a world handball player a total of three times (2011, 2015 and 2018), he led the Danes to the Olympic victory in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and to the World Cup title three times in a row (2019, 2021, 2023). In addition, there is Olympic silver in 2021, second and third places at world and European championships and entries as a record goalscorer.
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Knee surgery, pulmonary embolism, stress symptoms
Ultimately, however, health problems also determined his life. Immediately after knee surgery in his final season at PSG, Hansen suffered a pulmonary embolism and phlebitis. That was in March 2022. Shortly afterwards, PSG announced that the three-time world handball player was now out of danger but would no longer be able to play until the end of the season. A break of four to six months was expected. In the summer of 2022, Hansen then moved to the Danish first division club.
Goal celebration: Mikkel Hansen in the 2024 European Championship final against France
Quelle: picture alliance/Maximilian Koch
The difficult time was followed by rejoicing: at the World Cup in January 2023, he celebrated the title with the national team. After that, however, his health went downhill again – the world-class handball player was on sick leave for several months due to stress symptoms.
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He then excelled again at the European Championships at the beginning of this year, scoring 35 goals in eight games. But it wasn’t enough to win another title: In the final in Cologne, Denmark lost to the French team in a battle of nerves 31:33 after extra time – little consolation for Hansen: With his nine goals in the final, he broke the record of 295 European Championship goals Nikola Karabatic for a goal. Karabatić and Mikkels – the only two players to have been honored as world handball players three times.
