MATHIAS GIDSEL’S PATH PROVES THAT YOUTH RESULTS DO NOT DEFINE A CAREER
What do results at youth level really mean, and how accurately can they predict the kind of career a player will eventually have? There are plenty of examples that support the theory, but just as many that prove there are no fixed rules.
In Serbia, the name of Momir Ilić is often mentioned. The best Serbian handball player of the past two decades was unable to earn a place in the country’s golden 1980 junior generation, yet went on to build a remarkable career. He won the EHF Champions League twice, became one of the competition’s top five all-time scorers and was named MVP of the EHF EURO 2012.
The example of Mathias Gidsel, currently the most dominant player in world handball, is equally fascinating. Born in 1999, Gidsel competed with Denmark’s 1998 generation, but did not enjoy much success at youth level.
The young GOG prospect was not even included in Denmark’s squad for the 2016 European Youth Championship, the first major international tournament for that generation.
Gidsel and Denmark won a bronze medal at the Youth World Championship one year later, but disappointed at junior level. A team featuring Emil Jakobsen, Lærke and several other talented players finished far from the podium. Denmark placed 12th at the Junior European Championship and fifth at the 2019 Junior World Championship in Spain.
Across 26 matches at three major youth tournaments, Gidsel—the scoring machine who now has no real equivalent in modern handball—was Denmark’s leading scorer in only five individual matches. He was never the team’s overall top scorer at any of those tournaments.
The Füchse Berlin superstar and three-time Handball-Planet.com World Handball Player of the Year only broke into the top 10 scorers at his final youth competition. At the 2019 Junior World Championship, he shared ninth place with Fran Mileta and Josip Šarac.
He has never been voted in ALL-STAR team of the Championships.
The conclusion is clear: if the quality is truly there, it will surface sooner or later.
