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HomeSportHandballThe great Mikel Hansen and the curse of the Champions League

The great Mikel Hansen and the curse of the Champions League

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The Legendary Mikel Hansen and His Champions League Curse

Mikkel Hansen bids farewell to club handball during the final four in Cologne, Photo: EHF Champions League/X

Over the span of an illustrious 19-year career, Mikkel Hansen donned the colors of prominent clubs like Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, while leading Denmark to triumph at the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships. Regrettably, he will never lift the Champions League trophy…

On Sunday, strongman Mikkel Hansen played his final match in club competition. In the Champions League final against Barcelona, he had a crucial shot that could have sent Aalborg to extra time, but…

Just as the Champions League has eluded him throughout his career, this moment carried its own symbolism; with his last shot from nine meters hitting the crossbar.

Barcelona triumphed with a score of 31:30, proving once again their status as the greatest handball club of all time, while Hansen expressed his frustration with that final shot—and likely many past disappointments—on an advertisement board near the field.

Fittingly, earlier in his career, he made a similar shot against Russia to clinch victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“I will always regret not having this trophy, but there’s nothing more to discuss. I had my chances, but I let them slip,” Hansen remarked after leaving the “Landskes Arena” in Cologne, according to reports from “Ekip”.

However, there is one final celebration planned for the legendary player—with Denmark at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

“While watching Barcelona on the podium, my mind started drifting to Paris; it’s my city, and concluding my career there would truly be magnificent,” Hansen added.

He also reflected on Aalborg’s journey…

“We had a season to be proud of, especially since we became champions of Denmark. I will continue to support handball and hope to see Aalborg here again in the future, perhaps with a trophy,” Hansen concluded.

While the Champions League remains out of reach, five gold medals gleam on his chest—from the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the 2019, 2021, and 2023 World Championships, and the 2012 European Championship.

Additionally, he holds a silver medal from the Tokyo Games and has been a world and European vice-champion on two occasions.

Recognized as the best handball player on the planet by the IHF three times (2011, 2015, 2018), he also earned MVP honors at the World Championships (2013, 2019, 2021) and once for the Olympic Games (2016).

One of the sport’s all-time greats—Mikkel Hansen. Yet, he leaves without the coveted Champions League trophy.

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