Another experience for a player brimming with potential: Lopes Candido shines at Croatia 2023

After failing to make any progress in the last two editions of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, ending up on the 19th and 21st places at the end of the competition, Brazil went back to the drawing board and tried to instil some new life into their side, one that had previously finished in the top 10 of the world handball flagship competition three times.

Having missed the cut only for the first edition of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Brazil have always been a staple of the competition, regardless of how strong their team looked.

This time around, at Croatia 2023, Brazil were looking like outsiders after having lost the final against Argentina in their continental championship in 2022, finishing on the second place at the 2022 South and Central America Youth Men’s Handball Championship.

But now, after two strong wins against the Republic of Korea (31:30) and Bahrain (28:22), Brazil are back in the main round and can consider this edition of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship a success.

Handball is a team sport, yet individuals can change the outcome of a game, and this is exactly what happened for Brazil at Croatia 2023. While the team performed well overall, they could not have put on such a strong face were it not for a huge talent in left back Mikael Lopes Candido.

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.

In fact, the left back is sitting in the top 10 in the competition in both categories – ninth in goals scored, with 20 in three matches, and fifth in assists provided, with 14, contributing directly to 34 of Brazil’s 88 goals, or 37% of all the South American team’s goals in the competition.

“It is an honour to be here and wear the team shirt. You surely have heard it before, but it is an excellent feeling, especially for young players like me, to represent the country and play handball. Just being here is something amazing, a feeling hard to describe,” says Lopes Candido.

“The fact we are in the main round, the fact we are here and we won two games makes us dream even further. Of course, we are facing some difficult opponents, but we are here to play. We will give everything and try to make it to the quarter-finals and achieve our best finish in the competition.”

That objective might be difficult to achieve, provided Brazil are due to face Czechia and reigning champions Egypt in the main round, and two wins are virtually mandatory to progress, providing that the South American side starts the next phase at Croatia 2023 with zero points, due to their loss against Spain in the preliminary round.

But that does not deter Lopes Candido and his teammates from dreaming. If anything, Brazil proved time and time again they are true fighters and have always done their best to win.

And the back player will be pivotal for the future of his team in the competition, providing his experience, despite being only 18 years old. Croatia 2023 might well be the first major international tournament with Brazil for Lopes Candido, but it is not his first rodeo.

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.

“It was my first important competition. It was something amazing, my first contact with handball at its finest, so I will always keep it in my heart. Of course, it helped me develop as a player and as a human, and I look forward to more and more important competitions,” says the Brazilian future star.

It is always interesting to see Brazil producing such interesting players, brimming with potential, especially when the country is football-mad, with handball also being more and more popular. But how exactly did Lopes Candido head to handball?

“Of course, I played football; it is basically mandatory,” smiles the Brazil player. “But I started handball in my local school, and I never looked back from that moment on; it is a very exciting sport.”

And for the future? How does the future look for a player with such potential?

“It is clear I want to go to Europe in the future and play there for a big club. Barcelona? Kiel? Kielce? Who knows, but I am now here and doing my best for Brazil,” concludes Lopes Candido.

Photos: Croatia 2023/Kolektiff images