HANDBALL PLAYERS from Denmark

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Danish Handball Players of all time. This list of famous Danish Handball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Danish Handball Players.

1. Mikkel Hansen (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 51.21, Mikkel Hansen is the most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 45 different languages on wikipedia.

Mikkel Hansen (born 22 October 1987) is a Danish former professional handball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest handball players of all time, Hansen has won the IHF World Player of the Year a record-tying three times.

2. Niklas Landin Jacobsen (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 43.77, Niklas Landin Jacobsen is the 2nd most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Niklas Landin Jacobsen (born 19 December 1988) is a Danish handballer for Aalborg Håndbold. He has previously played for Rhein-Neckar Löwen. He is European Champion with the Danish national team, after winning the 2012 Championship in Serbia, defeating the host nation in the final, 21–19. Niklas Landin is the captain of the Denmark national team. In 2011 and 2013, he won silver medal at the World Men's Handball Championship. In 2016, he was part of the Danish team that won Olympic gold. With the Danish national team, he won three consecutive World Championships in 2019, 2021 and 2023. He made his debut on the national team on 28 October 2008. He is the older brother of fellow THW Kiel player and Danish international Magnus Landin Jacobsen. Landin Jacobsen was named the IHF World Player of the Year for 2019 and for 2021. He was the first player to be named two consecutive times. In 2021, he won the 2021 World Men's Handball Championship, posting a save rate of 30%.

3. Anja Andersen (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 41.78, Anja Andersen is the 3rd most famous Danish Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Anja Jul Andersen (born 15 February 1969 in Odense, Denmark) is a Danish former team handball player and current coach. She is an Olympic champion, World champion and two times European champion. In 1997, she was named IHF World Player of the Year. She is widely regarded as one of the best female handball players of all time. She was admitted to the Danish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

4. Lars Christiansen (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 41.42, Lars Christiansen is the 4th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Lars Roslyng Christiansen (born April 18, 1972) is a former Danish team handball player. He is European Champion, winning the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship and 2012 European Men's Handball Championship with the Danish national handball team. He was top scorer at the 2008 championship together with Nikola Karabatic and Ivano Balić, and was also voted into the 2008 All-star team. Christiansen has played 338 games for the Danish national team, and scored 1503 goals. He is currently the player with most games and most goals for the Danish national team. He played for the German club SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and was part of the team when the club won the German championship in 2004, and won the EHF Cup in 1997. In his 14 years with SG Flensburg-Handewitt he scored 3996 times, 1623 of these was scored from the 7 meter penalty spot. Lars Christiansen's cousin Jan Paulsen has played together with Lars Christiansen for the Danish national handball team - as playmaker. He has been married to former handballer, Christina Roslyng, who played at the Danish national handball team. Together, they have two sons, Frederik and August. They split up in 2009, however, as of 2012, they are back together. In 2018, he participated in the Danish version of Dancing with the Stars, Vild med dans, with the partner Sofie Kruuse.

5. Hans Lindberg (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 40.49, Hans Lindberg is the 5th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Hans Óttar Lindberg Tómasson (born 1 August 1981) is a Danish handball player of Icelandic descent for HØJ Elite and the Danish national team. He has played the second most matches for the Danish national team, and measured in years he has the record for longest time on the national team ever as well as oldest player for the Danish team. He won the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship and the 2012 European Men's Handball Championship with the Danish national team. He currently plays for Füchse Berlin. He is of Icelandic descent as both of Lindberg's parents, Tómas Erling Lindberg and Sigrún Sigurðardóttir, are Icelandic. His parents played handball in Iceland with Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar. He had Icelandic citizenship until he was 18. His paternal grandparents immigrated to Iceland from Suduroy on the Faroe Islands in the mid-1940s. He is sometimes referred to as the Icelander on the Danish national team in Icelandic media. He understands Icelandic in conversation but is unable or refuses to speak Icelandic when speaking to media.

6. Henrik Toft Hansen (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 36.79, Henrik Toft Hansen is the 6th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Henrik Toft Hansen (born 18 December 1986) is a Danish professional handball player for Mors-Thy Håndbold and the Danish national team. He is the younger brother of René Toft Hansen. He has three younger siblings: Allan Toft Hansen (da) of Mors-Thy Håndbold, Majbritt Toft Hansen of Viborg HK and Jeanette Toft Hansen of Aarhus United. All five siblings play on the pivot position. He is married to former Swedish national team player Ulrika Toft Hansen (formerly Ulrika Ågren), with whom he has two children.

7. Mathias Gidsel (b. 1999)

With an HPI of 36.20, Mathias Gidsel is the 7th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Mathias Gidsel (born 8 February 1999) is a Danish handball player for Füchse Berlin and the Danish national team. A two times winner of the World Championship with Denmark, and the 2023 winner of the Handball-Planet – Best World Handball Player, he is widely recognized as one of the great players of his generation. At the 2024 European Championship, Gidsel became the highest scorer of the tournament with 54 goals and was included in the All Star Team as the best right back, with Denmark reaching the final but losing out to France in extra time.

8. Rasmus Lauge Schmidt (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 35.78, Rasmus Lauge Schmidt is the 8th most famous Danish Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Rasmus Lauge Schmidt (born 20 June 1991) is a Danish handball player for Bjerringbro-Silkeborg Håndbold and the Danish national team. He made his debut for Denmark's handball team in 2010, and with them has won World and European Championships. He has previously played for German side THW Kiel and Danish side Bjerringbro-Silkeborg.

9. Lene Rantala (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 35.19, Lene Rantala is the 9th most famous Danish Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Lene Rantala (born 10 August 1968 in Copenhagen) is a former Danish handball player, two times Olympic champion and a World champion. Rantala is currently assistant coach for Vipers Kristiansand in the Norwegian REMA 1000-ligaen. She debuted on the Danish national team on 14 February 1991, and has since played 226 matches for Denmark. This makes her the 3rd most tenured player on the Danish Women's national team ever behind fellow goalkeeper Karin Mortensen and Janne Kolling. She also has the record for the oldest player on the Danish national team ever with 42 years and 307 days. She has won numerous medals with the team, notably including two Olympic gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

10. René Toft Hansen (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 35.04, René Toft Hansen is the 10th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

René Toft Hansen (born 1 November 1984) is a Danish professional handballer for Bjerringbro-Silkeborg Håndbold and the Denmark national team. He is the oldest of 5 siblings, all of which are handball players: His brother Henrik, who also plays for the Denmark national team, and the three younger siblings: Allan Toft Hansen (da) of Mors-Thy Håndbold, Majbritt Toft Hansen of Viborg HK and Jeanette Toft Hansen. All five siblings play on the pivot position.