2021 has been a monster of a year for Mathias Gidsel, a player who made his debut for Denmark only in late 2020. He was truly impressive in his first-ever major tournament for Denmark, winning the gold medal at the IHF Men’s World Championship in January 2021, while also being elected the All-star right back of the competition, after scoring 39 goals.

Six months later, Gidsel missed the Olympic title by a whisker, as Denmark lost the final against France, but his versatility and his 46 goals with an outstanding 81% shooting efficiency lifted him to glory as the youngest-ever MVP of an Olympic handball tournament, sealing the award at only 22 years old. Touted as the next best thing of Danish handball, Gidsel’s superb games earned him a transfer to German powerhouse Füchse Berlin in the summer of 2022.