The vote begins: Who are the season’s best male players?

Players, coaches, selected media as well as fans are eligible to participate with each group’s votes accounting for 25% of the overall result for every position.

The fan vote has been opened on Friday in the ‘Home of Handball’ app. The three remaining groups have been contacted individually.

The Awards – for both men and women – honour the best players in each position: Best goalkeeper, left wing, left back, centre back, right back, right wing and line player plus best defender and rookie of the season. The rookie will be announced and cannot be voted for.

From the seven playing positions and the best defender a season MVP, the Player of the Year, will be selected. The best beach handball athletes receive a dedicated award, ensuring an additional aspect of European handball is covered.

The vote for the male nominees will continue until 5 June. The vote for the female players ran from 15-25 May.

The EHF Excellence Awards Gala Night, where the winners will be named, will take place on 26 June 2023 in Vienna.

Male players nominated for the EHF Excellence Awards 2023

Left wing

• Sebastian Barthold - NOR / Aalborg Håndbold
• Timur Dibirov - RUS / HC PPD Zagreb
• Angel Fernandez Perez - ESP / Limoges Handball
• Lukas Mertens - GER / SC Magdeburg
• Lovro Mihic - CRO / Orlen Wisla Plock
• Valero Rivera Folch - ESP / HBC Nantes
• Milos Vujovic - MNE / Füchse Berlin

Left back

• Mykola Bilyk - AUT / THW Kiel
• Antonio Garcia Robledo - ESP / Fraikin BM Granollers
• Rasmus Lauge - DEN / Telekom Veszprem HC
• Elohim Prandi - FRA / Paris Saint-Germain Handball
• Simon Pytlick - DEN / GOG
• Sander Sagosen - NOR / THW Kiel
• Szymon Sicko - POL / Barlinek Industria Kielce

Centre back

• Luka Cindric - CRO / Barça
• Igor Karacic - CRO / Barlinek Industria Kielce
• Gisli Kristjansson - ISL / SC Magdeburg
• Nedim Remili - FRA / Telekom Veszprem HC
• Diego Simonet - ARG / Montpellier HB
• Luc Steins - NED / Paris Saint-Germain Handball
• Aleks Vlah - SLO / RK Celje Pivovarna Laško

Right back

• Alex Dujshebaev - ESP / Barlinek Industria Kielce
• Mathias Gidsel - DEN / Füchse Berlin
• Dainis Kristopans - LAT / Paris Saint-Germain Handball
• Emil Madsen - DEN / GOG
• Dika Mem - FRA / Barça
• Kay Smits - NED / SC Magdeburg
• Faruk Yusuf - NGR / Fraikin BM Granollers

Right wing

• Niclas Ekberg - SWE / THW Kiel
• Blaz Janc - SLO / Barça
• Hans Lindberg - DEN / Füchse Berlin
• Arkadiusz Moryto - POL / Barlinek Industria Kielce
• Bogdan Radivojevic - SRB / OTP Bank - Pick Szeged
• Ferran Sole Sala - ESP / Paris Saint-Germain Handball
• Hákun West Am Teigum - FAR / Skanderborg-Aarhus

Line player

• Ludovic Fabregas - FRA / Barça
• Johannes Golla - GER / SG Flensburg-Handewitt
• Victor Iturizza Alvarez - POR / FC Porto
• Lukas Jørgensen - DEN / GOG
• Artsem Karalek - BLR / Barlinek Industria Kielce
• Veron Nacinovic - CRO / Montpellier HB
• Kamil Syprzak - POL / Paris Saint-Germain Handball

Goalkeeper

• Ignacio Biosca Garcia - ESP / Orlen Wisla Plock
• Benjamin Buric - BIH / SG Flensburg-Handewitt
• Viktor Hallgrímsson - ISL / HBC Nantes
• Niklas Landin Jacobsen - DEN / THW Kiel
• Gonzalo Perez de Vargas Moreno - ESP / Barça
• Tobias Thulin - SWE / GOG
• Andreas Wolff - GER / Barlinek Industria Kielce

Best defender

• Blaz Blagotinsek - SLO / Frisch Auf Göppingen
• Alexandre Cavalcanti - POR / HBC Nantes
• Matej Gaber - SLO / OTP Bank - Pick Szeged
• Tomasz Gebala - POL / Barlinek Industria Kielce
• Thiagus Petrus Gonçalves dos Santos - BRA / Barça
• Simon Hald Jensen - DEN / SG Flensburg-Handewitt
• Henrik Møllgaard Jensen - DEN / Aalborg Håndb

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