HANDBALL PLAYERS from Netherlands

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Dutch Handball Players of all time. This list of famous Dutch 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 Dutch Handball Players.

1. Estavana Polman (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 36.07, Estavana Polman is the most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages on wikipedia.

Estavana Polman (born 5 August 1992) is a Dutch handball player for CS Rapid București and the Dutch national team. She represented the Netherlands in younger age categories as well and collected the silver medal at the 2011 Women's 19 European Handball Championship. In addition, she was voted into the all-star team of the tournament in playmaker position.

2. Nycke Groot (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 32.03, Nycke Groot is the 2nd most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Cornelia Nycke Groot (born 4 May 1988) is a Dutch handball player. She represented the Netherlands in three World Women's Handball Championship (winning a silver in Denmark 2015, and a bronze in Germany 2017) and two editions of the Olympic Games. In January 2019, 14 years after debuting on the Dutch national team, she announced she would be retiring from the national team to focus on her club career. In 2021, Groot announced she would participate with the Netherlands at the Tokyo Olympic Games. She also announced the end of her club career.

3. Lois Abbingh (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 31.58, Lois Abbingh is the 3rd most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Lois Abbingh (born 13 August 1992) is a Dutch female professional handballer who plays for Vipers Kristiansand and the Dutch national team. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

4. Tess Wester (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 30.67, Tess Wester is the 4th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Tess Lieder (née Wester, born 19 May 1993) is a Dutch retired handballer for the Dutch national team. A full international with the Dutch national team since 2012, she won the silver medal in the 2015 World Women's Handball Championship with the Dutch team and became the goalkeeper with the highest percentage of saves in the tournament. Wester also reached fourth place with the Dutch team in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

5. Laura van der Heijden (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 29.24, Laura van der Heijden is the 5th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Laura van der Heijden (born 27 June 1990) is a Dutch handball player for Chambray Touraine Handball in France and the Dutch national team.

6. Danick Snelder (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 26.84, Danick Snelder is the 6th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Danick Albertine Snelder (born 22 May 1990) is a Dutch handball player for SG BBM Bietigheim and the Dutch national team. She participated at the 2011 World Women's Handball Championship in Brazil. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the Dutch team placed fourth.

7. Debbie Bont (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 0.00, Debbie Bont is the 7th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Debbie Bont (born 9 December 1990) is a Dutch handball player for Metz Handball and the Dutch national team. She represented the Netherlands in six World Championships (in Brazil 2011, in Serbia 2013, winning silver in Denmark 2015, bronze in Germany 2017, gold in Japan 2019 and in Spain 2021), one edition of the Olympic Games and in five European Championships (in Denmark & Norway 2010, in Hungary & Croatia 2014, winning silver in Sweden 2016, bronze in France 2018 and in Denmark 2020).

8. Inger Smits (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 0.00, Inger Smits is the 8th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Inger Smits (born 17 September 1994) is a Dutch handball player for SG BBM Bietigheim and the Dutch national team. She represented the Netherlands at the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship. Her father Gino Smits and brothers Kay and Jorn are also international handball players.

9. Rinka Duijndam (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 0.00, Rinka Duijndam is the 9th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Rinka Duijndam (born 6 August 1997) is a Dutch female professional handballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Romanian club CS Rapid București and the Dutch national team. She represented the Netherlands at the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship where she won a gold medal.

10. Merel Freriks (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 0.00, Merel Freriks is the 10th most famous Dutch Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Merel Freriks (born 6 January 1998) is a Dutch female handball player for Vipers Kristiansand and the Dutch national team. She represented the Netherlands at the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship.