Croatia 2023 could well be the much-needed kickstart of the career for plenty of young, talented handball players. It should not come as a surprise, as the many of the current stalwarts, like Jim Gottfridsson, have made the first waves in the past editions of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.

There have been plenty of exquisite performances at Croatia 2023, with some of the players lighting up the scoreboard, while others have delivered some excellent matches for their teams, being crucial to the success of the players.

But who are the players who can make an impact in the future? Of course, we have chosen some players from the All-Star team, but we have also dug deep to see exactly who are the ones which might be fulfilling their amazing potential in the next decade.

Óli Mittún (Faroe Islands)

It was an unprecedented show of dominance from the diminutive centre back, who stole the show at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship with an exceptional perfornance. In their debut in the competition, the Faroe Islands finished on the eighth place and it was all Mittún at times, who set a new record for the number of goals scored by a single player in a single edition of the competition.

Not only Mittún finished Croatia 2023 with 87 goals, 31 more than any other player, he was also the best provider of assists in the competition, with 70 assists, 27 more than any other player who took the court in the first two weeks of August. 

The centre back, who also featured at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, was the shining light for a team which will definitely have a lot more to say in the future, at the senior level, making it two out of two for the Faroe Islands in the All-Star team in the two younger age category events, after Elias Ellefsen A Skipagotu also was named as the best centre back at Germany/Greece 2023 one month earlier.

Hussain Furaij (Saudi Arabia)

There has been a particular emphasis put on handball in Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the past four editions of the IHF Men’s Super Globe, with the sport becoming more and more popular, with big names being attracted in the league, but also a system to develop and promote young players being in the works. Furaij is undoubtedly one of the biggest talents produced by Saudi Arabia in the past years, and 2023 has been a true whirlwind for the right wing, who has represented his country in three major competitions so far – the IHF Men’s World Championship in Poland/Sweden, the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship in Germany/Greece and now the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship in Croatia.

At Croatia 2023, Furaij scored 52 goals, enough for the seventh place in the top goal scorer standings, with a 75% efficiency, an excellent one for a wing. He also helped the Asian side seal their best performance in the competition, finishing on the 12th place, which bodes well for the future of the sport in the country, as more and more players are getting the attention they need to be polished and develop even better in the future.

Victor Romero Holguin (Spain)

It is really difficult to pinpoint exactly the best player from Spain and forgetting about the excellent performance put in by Djordje and Petar Cikusa I Jelicic or goalkeeper Alvaro Perez Mendez. In fact, Spain had three players in the All-Star team, with Victor Romero Holguin joining Perez Mendez and right wing Xavier Gonzalez in the best squad of the competition.

Having already made his debut at the senior level at club level for Fraikin BM. Granollers, the finalists of the EHF European League Men, Romero Holguin was a crucial part of Spain’s success, being a leader on both sides of the ball, in attack and defence, as well as the team captain, a motivating factor on the court, taking on more and more responsibility.

In fact, he was Spain’s top scorer, with 43 goals, and a 75% shooting efficiency, which dropped after Romero Holguin missed plenty of one-on-one chances in the final against Denmark. That did not matter in the end, as the team prevailed, but he looks set to be one of the players to watch for the future.

Frederik Emil Pedersen (Denmark)

Starting as a left wing, with Uwe Gensheimer as his idol, but transitioning to the centre back position, one which has plenty of responsibility, might have been difficult for Frederik Pedersen. Yet the Danish player worked on his skills, refined them, and was named the MVP of the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, shining along and following into the footsteps of some great players, like Jim Gottfridsson.

He finished as the joint-second top goal scorer of the competition, with 56 goals, boasting an outlandish 80% efficiency for a back player, while adding 22 assists, which made him directly responsible for 78 goals for Denmark in the competition. Having already played in the Danish top league, Pedersen is lined up to continue an excellent tradition of promoting young players with potential in Denmark, like Mathias Gidsel or Simon Pytlick, to mention the latest names propelled into stardom.

Marvin Siemer (Germany)

Germany might have missed out on a medal at Croatia 2023, after winning the gold in superb fashion at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, but they still had some big absences in the squad, due to injuries. Enter Marvin Siemer, a left wing who assumed plenty of responsibility on his shoulders and finished the competition with the largest number of goals scored from the wing position, 27, in eight matches.

Siemer is just one of the latest players to come out of the German system and shine on the biggest of stages and played for Potsdam, in the second German league before signing a contract with Füchse Berlin, as he looks to have a successful career in the future, based on his excellent performances at Croatia 2023.

Belal Masoud (Egypt)

Masoud was a key factor for Egypt’s dominance in the 2022 CAHB Men’s Youth African Championship and brought his excellent form at Croatia 2023 too, being named in the All-Star team as the top left wing in the competition. Not only he helped Egypt qualify for the semi-finals, converting the last shot in the regular time against the Faroe Islands, with ice in his veins, but also he proved excellent technique and handball nous.

Masoud is yet another name provided by Egypt, which finished on the fourth place at Croatia 2023, to shine in the future, underlining the huge work and excellent passion put in the development of players, which have delivered excellent results at this age category over the last decade.

Lasse Sunde Lid (Norway)

Standing at 1.96m tall, Sunde Lid projects to be a top back in the future. His potential was identified by Norwegian club, Haslum, who signed him at 16 years old, and helped him develop even further, creating a modern player, who has a big handball IQ and can create chances for his teammates or finish them with a strong shot.

Lid was the joint-second best scorer in the competition, with 56 goals, and also finished on the second place in the top assists standings, with 43 assists, being only one goal shy from hitting the 100-goal mark in goals plus assists at Croatia 2023. With such big numbers put on for Norway, who finished seventh in the standings, Lid is undoubtedly a player to look for in the future.

Kristóf Csörgő (Hungary)

Hungary came close to secure a place in the quarter-finals, but a last-gasp miss against Croatia saw them crashing out and finishing on the 11th place at Croatia 2023. It was not for a disappointing outing for the European powerhouse, which still has plenty of talent at disposal, chief of which is Csörgő, the team captain.

His numbers at Croatia 2023 do not tell the whole story, but Csörgő has the qualities, the mind and the talent to become a crucial player for Hungary in the future, as his excellent performances in the past, at this age level, have guaranteed.

 

Mikael Lopes Candido (Brazil)

At only 18 years old, Lopes Candido has been the fulcrum of Brazil at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, being the team’s top scorer and the top assists provider, a clear force of nature to be reckoned with. A strong, physical player, Candido dominated through sheer strength, yet he still needs more polishing before emerging as the final product.

Ten months ago, the left back featured for Handebol Clube Taubaté in the 2022 IHF Men’s Super Globe, where the Brazilian club side finished on the eighth place, after losing against Polish giants Kielce, Esperance de Tunis and SL Benfica. That experienced helped him improve, with Croatia 2023 being the next stepping stone for the Brazilian left back for a successful future career.