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 57.32, 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. Hansen has won the IHF World Player of the Year a record-tying three times. He played as a left back for most of his career, but towards the end of his career he transitioned to play more as a centre back/playmaker. He was inducted into the EHF Hall of Fame in 2024.

2. Niklas Landin Jacobsen (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 51.50, 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 who plays as a goalkeeper for Aalborg Håndbold. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of handball, he is a two-time IHF World Player of the Year (2019 and 2021)—the first player ever to win it consecutively and the only goalkeeper to claim the award twice. He served as captain of the Denmark national team from 2012 until his international retirement in 2024. He is a European Champion (2012) and helped Denmark win Olympic gold in 2016 and 2024, silver in 2020, and three consecutive World Championships (2019, 2021, 2023). He made his senior international debut on 28 October 2008.

3. Anja Andersen (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 50.80, Anja Andersen is the 3rd most famous Danish Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 36 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 handball players of all time. She was admitted to the Danish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. She was inducted into the EHF Hall of Fame in 2024.

4. Lars Christiansen (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 50.10, Lars Christiansen is the 4th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Lars Roslyng Christiansen (born 18 April 1972) is a Danish former 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. Mathias Gidsel (b. 1999)

With an HPI of 48.73, Mathias Gidsel is the 5th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Mathias Gidsel (born 8 February 1999) is a Danish handball player who plays as a right back for Füchse Berlin and the Danish national team. He is the first player to win the IHF World Player of the Year award two years in a row (2023, 2024), a three-time IHF World Champion (2021, 2023, 2025), and an Olympic gold medalist (2024). At the 2025 World Championship, he was named MVP and top scorer with 74 goals, helping extend Denmark's streak to four consecutive titles. Renowned for his exceptional shooting efficiency, high-volume scoring, and extraordinary stamina, Gidsel has been described as a "machine" by peers and coaches.

6. Hans Lindberg (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 47.45, Hans Lindberg is the 6th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 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 is also the all time German Bundesliga top scorer. 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.

7. Lasse Svan Hansen (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 45.36, Lasse Svan Hansen is the 7th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Lasse Svan Hansen (born 31 August 1983) is a Danish retired handballer, who last played for SG Flensburg-Handewitt and the Danish national team He was admitted to the Danish sports hall of fame in 2024. and in the European Handball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023.

8. Lene Rantala (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 44.31, Lene Rantala is the 8th most famous Danish Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Lene Rantala (born 10 August 1968) is a Danish former handball player and handball coach, two times Olympic champion and a World champion. Rantala was assistant coach for Vipers Kristiansand in the Norwegian REMA 1000-ligaen until the bankruptcy of the club

9. Anne Dorthe Tanderup (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 44.23, Anne Dorthe Tanderup is the 9th most famous Danish Handball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Anne Dorthe Tanderup (born 24 April 1972) is a Danish former team handball player, Olympic champion and World Champion.

10. Henrik Møllgaard (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 44.01, Henrik Møllgaard is the 10th most famous Danish Handball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Henrik Møllgaard Jensen (born 2 January 1985) is a Danish former handballer and current assistant coach for PSG Handball. He previously played for Aalborg Håndbold and the Danish national team. He was known for his versatility, playing all three back positions and pivot when needed, but later in his career, he primarily excelled as a defender. He previously played for PSG Handball, KIF Kolding, Kongeå HK, Ribe HK, and Skjern Håndbold.