Six years ago, Dika Mem was only a 19-year-old fringe player for France, ushered in carefully into the most decorated squad in the history of the IHF Men’s World Championship as his potential was huge. Still, the lack of experience could have hampered his progress if he had been thrown into tough battles at that time.

Now, Mem has flourished as one of France’s key players, with his magnificent talent earning plaudits from teammates and opponents and transcending into the world of handball as one of the best players to take the court in the last few years.

Despite an abdominal strain that made him miss three matches, Mem has been once again a key contributor for “Les Experts”, which have started an edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship with eight wins in a row for the third time in history. On the other two occasions, France have won the trophy. Mem was there once, in 2017, when he scored only two goals for his side.

“It is totally different now. In 2017 I was young and I was with the team, of course, but I did not play so much. It is a nice feeling to be back in the final of the World Championship, because it is one of the toughest matches in handball, and now I contribute to the team,” says Mem.

So far, Mem’s numbers are not astonishing at the IHF Men’s World Championship, scoring only 77 goals in four editions of the competition. However, in that span, France lost only four of the 46 matches they played, a remarkable sign of consistency in the toughest circumstances.

Take, for instance, the semi-final against Sweden played on Friday, when France clinched a 31:26 win to seal their berth for the final in the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. Playing against the co-hosts, who set a new record for attendance for a Sweden international match with 19,125 fans in the stands, was a true challenge.

But France made it look comfortable, even easy at times, with Mem scoring five goals in the match, enabling the other excellent left-handed right back, Nedim Remili, to create chances from the centre back position.

“I think we played really well in defence. We were really hungry for a win because we lost the last two semi-finals and played against Sweden. One other thing is that we never doubted what we can do, how we play, how good we are,” adds Mem, who at 25 is now in his second final at the IHF Men’s World Championship.

“The atmosphere was nice, however, because we led by so many goals in the end, it was not that much pressure on us. Yet it will also be difficult on Sunday, in the final, because I expect many Denmark fans to come and support their team.”

A flight from Copenhagen to Stockholm takes roughly an hour. Therefore, France will be in the minority once again, with the fans cheering for Denmark. But “Les Experts” know a thing or two about playing in an arena which is packed with their opponents’ fans.

They started the tournament in Katowice, facing co-hosts Poland, in what proved to be a successful start for France, 26:24, setting up the pace for what was going to come. It was also the match where Mem suffered an abdominal injury which cost him three matches at Poland/Sweden 2023.

However, he bounced back and here he is, having featured 42 minutes and 17 seconds against Sweden, the third-highest number of minutes played in France’s squad in the match, with his contribution being crucial.

“I am in good form. I just need to rest a bit after these matches because we have been playing in Katowice, Krakow, Gdansk and now Stockholm. But other than that, I am good to go,” says Mem.

Coach Guillaume Gille will expect the same, if not more, from Mem in the final against Denmark, a rematch of the final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which France won (25:23).

Back then, Mem scored only three goals, but was instrumental in helping his team win, scoring 29 goals throughout the tournament. Will history repeat itself? Well, the French right back knows everything about France’s opponents, including how good Denmark have been in the past few years at the IHF Men’s World Championship.

The Scandinavian side has not lost a match since 2017, crushing their opponents to a 27-match unbeaten streak, which broke France’s previous record of 25 matches without a loss in the world handball flagship competition. No team has ever won the World Championship three times in a row, with Denmark being primed to do so here.

“They have won so many matches. They are really confident. They think that they can beat everyone. But so are we. It will be a tough match,” concludes the French player.

12 years ago, at Sweden 2011, France beat Denmark in the only World Championship final played between the two sides, 37:35. Back then, Mem was only a kid, watching the match on TV. Now, he will start and can decide the outcome of the match. No pressure!