In today's world, IHF World Player of the Year is a topic that has gained great relevance in different areas of society. Over time, IHF World Player of the Year has proven to be a fundamental piece in decision-making and in the development of various aspects of daily life. Its impact has become so significant that more and more people are seeking information and analysis about IHF World Player of the Year to understand its importance and how it influences their lives. In this article, we will thoroughly explore the role of IHF World Player of the Year today, its evolution over time, and its impact on society.
Sport | Handball |
---|---|
Competition | International Handball |
Awarded for | Best Performance in International Handball Competitions |
History | |
First award | 1988 |
Most wins | Men: Mikkel Hansen Nikola Karabatić (3 awards each) Women: Cristina Neagu (4 awards) |
Most recent | Men: Mathias Gidsel (1st title) Women: Henny Reistad (1st title) |
The IHF World Player of the Year is a handball award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season, both at club and international competitions. It is awarded based on votes from experts, media and fans.
The award was awarded by IHF since 1988 in both Men's and Women's Category separately.
No award was awarded in the years 1991, 1992, 1993 and 2017.
Year | Winner | Country | Position | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Svetlana Kitić | Yugoslavia | Centre back | |
1989 | Kim Hyun-Mee | South Korea | ||
1990 | Jasna Kolar-Merdan | Austria | Left back | |
1991 | No vote | |||
1992 | ||||
1993 | ||||
1994 | Mia Hermansson | Sweden | Centre back | |
1995 | Erzsébet Kocsis | Hungary | Line player | |
1996 | Lim O-Kyeong | South Korea | Centre back | |
1997 | Anja Andersen | Denmark | Left back | |
1998 | Trine Haltvik | Norway | Centre back | |
1999 | Ausra Fridrikas | Austria | Left back | |
2000 | Bojana Radulović | Hungary | Right back | |
2001 | Cecilie Leganger | Norway | Goalkeeper | |
2002 | Zhai Chao | China | Centre back | |
2003 | Bojana Radulović (2) | Hungary | Right back | |
2004 | Anita Kulcsár | Hungary | Line player | |
2005 | Anita Görbicz | Hungary | Centre back | |
2006 | Nadine Krause | Germany | Left back | |
2007 | Gro Hammerseng | Norway | Centre back | |
2008 | Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth | Norway | Right wing | |
2009 | Allison Pineau | France | Centre back | |
2010 | Cristina Neagu | Romania | Left back | |
2011 | Heidi Løke | Norway | Line player | |
2012 | Alexandra do Nascimento | Brazil | Right wing | |
2013 | Andrea Lekić | Serbia | Centre back | |
2014 | Eduarda Amorim | Brazil | Left back | |
2015 | Cristina Neagu (2) | Romania | Left back | |
2016 | Cristina Neagu (3) | Romania | Left back | |
2017 | Not awarded | |||
2018 | Cristina Neagu (4) | Romania | Left back | |
2019 | Stine Bredal Oftedal | Norway | Centre back | |
2020 | Not awarded | |||
2021 | Sandra Toft | Denmark | Goalkeeper | |
2022 | Not awarded | |||
2023 | Henny Reistad | Norway | Left back |
While the IHF has only reported awards since 1988, other players have been voted best players in the world before.
Thus, the Romanian Ștefan Birtalan was elected World Player of the Year in 1974, 1976 and 1977. And Ioan Moser of Romania was also named "Best Handball Player in the World” in 1964.
In 1992, Gheorghe Gruia of Romania was named Best Player of All Time by the International Handball Federation.
In 2000, the Swedish Magnus Wislander and the Ukrainian Zinaida Turchyna were elected Players of the 20th Century by the IHF.
Additionally, in 2010 Ivano Balić of Croatia and Svetlana Kitić of Yugoslavia were voted by the website users the Best Players Ever, but they were not named directly by the IHF.
In 2000, the official bulletin of the International Handball Federation, World Handball Magazine, chose Gheorghe Gruia, Ioan Moser and Cornel Penu as members of the "Team of the Century".
In 2010, the fans voted Thierry Omeyer as world's best goalkeeper ever. And in 2011, the fans voted for Luminița Dinu (born Huțupan) as best female goalkeeper ever.
Previously in 2009, Steffen Fäth and Cristina Neagu respectively won Rookie of the Year award for male and female.