The last years have been amazing from Jim Gottfridsson, who has become the most influential centre back in handball. Winning the MVP award at the EHF EURO 2018 was just the start for Gottfridsson, whose dual-pronged attacking threat, both with his powerful shots and his creative passes, makes him nearly impossible to stop on a good day.

2021 has been especially great for the Swedish centre back, who secured the silver medal at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship with the Scandinavian side, while also earning his All-star Team nomination as the top centre back at Egypt 2021. At club level, Gottfridsson was named the MVP of the German Bundesliga and helped Flensburg qualify for the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Men. He was by far the biggest assists provider in the German league with 210, 63 more than the next player in the standings, while finishing 15th in the top scorer ranking with 177 goals.