In June, Portugal men’s junior national team finished on the sixth place at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, another excellent performance for the up-and-coming European side, which had four top-10 placements in this age category in the world handball flagship competition since 2009.

That side was led by one of the finest prospects for Portugal, centre back André Sousa, who finished on the sixth place in the top goal scorer list with 47 goals, while also dishing 28 assists for a side which has truly impressed and delivered some huge promise for the future.

This time around, at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Portugal have made it to the quarter-finals for the third time in a row in this age category after finishing on the seventh place at Georgia 2017 and on the fourth place at North Macedonia 2019.

Only player – Nuno Oliveira (27) – has contributed to more goals for Portugal than centre back Tiago Sousa, with 24 goals and 20 assists so far after the preliminary round and the main round were concluded. And if the names of Portugal’s top performers coincide, it is because the two future stars are related – Tiago is André’s younger brother.

“It was excellent to have my brother as a model because I could learn a lot and easily and have somebody to talk to, who understands everything very easily, because he has also been there, in that position, especially because we play on the same position on the court,” says Tiago Sousa.

The Sousa brothers follow in the footsteps of another pair of brothers, Francisco and Martim Mota da Costa, who have already made their debuts at the IHF Men’s World Championship in Poland/Sweden 2023 and have helped Portugal seal the silver medal at the M20 EHF EURO 2022, where André Sousa was also part of the team.

This pool of quality players ensures a bright future for Portugal, a team which has surely made a big leap forward, making the cut at the last two editions of the IHF Men’s World Championship while also making their debut at the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020.

“When results are coming, and the team plays as well as they do, well, it is simple to make handball more popular. We also have some excellent clubs who played very well in the last years. Therefore it is clear that handball is becoming a popular sport in Portugal and that can only mean better results are on the horizon,” adds Sousa.

There is something about the spirit of Portugal, a never-say-die attitude which definitely has helped all sides, irrespective of the age category, to deliver some excellent results. The senior team delivered a masterstroke of a comeback in the Olympic Qualification Tournament against France to seal a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Or, for instance, take the comebacks achieved by Portugal at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, including the one against Slovenia, which helped the European side seal their place in the quarter-finals.

With five minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, Portugal, who were in a must-win situation, were down four goals, and everything looked done and dusted, with the team heading to the Placement Matches 13-16. Sousa was on the court when Portugal bounced back, cancelling that lead and eventually taking a 28:26 win, which left everybody stunned.

“This attitude helps us because we never give up, no matter how difficult the situation looks or how difficult it is to attempt a comeback. It was difficult against Slovenia, of course, and we had to wait until the game between Croatia and Hungary was over, but it was a huge relief to see that we are through,” says Sousa.

It was a nail-biting situation, with Hungary missing a last-gasp shot with four seconds left against Croatia. If that went in, then Hungary would have been through, and Portugal would be left without a chance for a trophy.

Nevertheless, Portugal are now in the quarter-finals and will be facing Denmark, one of the two sides who have five wins out of five games at Croatia 2023, a daunting task, albeit one which no other team is suited better to take on.

“We are dreaming about good results, about having a chance to win a medal, but there is still a long way ahead. Therefore we must keep our cool. We have reached the quarter-finals, which is a very good performance and we are happy about it, though,” concludes Sousa.

Photos: Croatia 2023/Kolektiff images