Landin had a great 2021 under his belt, winning the gold medal at the IHF Men’s World Championship in Egypt, saving 64 shots for a 30% saving efficiency and being crucial in the quarter-finals against Egypt, where he saved shots from Ahmad Elahmar and Ali Zein in the penalty shoot-out that enabled Denmark to qualify for the semi-finals. The Danish shot-stopper also secured the silver medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and won the German Bundesliga with his club team THW Kiel.

No player in history has won the IHF Male World Player of the Year twice in a row, but Niklas Landin Jacobsen, Denmark’s goalkeeper, could be the first to seal the achievement after being named in the five-player shortlist for 2021. Landin, who secured the award in 2019 thanks to his amazing displays between the posts, can also become only the fifth player in history to secure the award twice and join the likes of Talant Dujshebaev, Ivano Balic, Nikola Karabatic and Mikkel Hansen.