Kasper Hvidt: “We will win the CL”

The 32-year old goalkeeper led the Danish national team to their first European Champion title ever. His plan is to repeat the success with Barcelona in the CL. Hvidt never won a CL title before.

Q: The semi-finals between Barcelona and Kiel are coming up. Germans are the title holders. What do you expect from this encounter?

Hvidt: Victory! It will be very hard, but I expect my team to win. Last season, I played against Kiel (with Portland San Antonio) and we did not go through only because of one single goal. We clearly did not have luck. This season I want to win and it is the only thing I’m thinking of. Everything else is not important.

Q: How far is Barcelona from the CL title now? You never won a CL, so you must have great motivation this time?

Hvidt: Winning a CL is something I had dreamed of in my entire carrier. Once I played a CL final, but we lost. Anyway, I’m sure that my dream would come true. All semi-finalists, Ciudad Real, Kiel and HSV are great teams and they all have their chances. But I have a feeling that my dream will come true this season. I’m convinced that we will win the CL.

Q: You won Spanish Championship with Ademar Leon and Portland San Antonio. Can you repeat it once again with Barcelona? You are two points behind Ciudad Real and you have one match against them?

Hvidt: We are in a great situation, because everything depends on us. We simply have to win all the matches all the way. If we continue playing well as now, we will win the Asobal League. The most important is that everything is in our hands and we will decide ourselves about our future.

Q: How do you prepare for the match? Do you have all the players and their way of shooting in your head before the match? Do you watch your opponents’ videos with the rest of the team or you have individual preparation for the match?

Hvidt: I watch videos, players. It is very important for me whether the match is high-paced or slow. Also, I must emphasise the importance of communication with my defence. Short or tall team, with shooters from the ground or from the air – this can also make the difference. Basically, for me it is very important to have good communication with my defence.

Q: What is the most important thing to become a world class goalkeeper? It seems that you are in a kind of special state of mind during the matches?

Hvidt: I’m very aggressive on court. This is very important for me, because if I were calm, it would just not be me.

Q: Which goalkeepers do you appreciate?

Hvidt: Tomas Svensson is the greatest goalkeeper for me. I had the honour to work in Denmark with the Croatian coach Mirko Basic and I admire his work. I’m very sorry that I could not watch him because he retired, so I mostly watched Svensson.

Q: How long do you plan to play? Goalkeepers can play even when they are over 40. Do you have any plans for the times after handball?

Hvidt: I don't know. I’m 32 and I feel great. As long as I can help my team, I will play. And after my carrier we'll see. I don't have plans. Now I will finish my university studies and we'll see what happens.

Q: Send a message for all the young handball players: how can one become a great handballer?

Hvidt: It is not good to have illusions about big clubs. Whichever club you are playing for, you have to concentrate on one thing and one thing only: your progress.