Profiles of the All-star team nominees

Voting has started to choose the best of the best: the VELUX EHF Champions League All-star team for the season 2012/13.

For the first time, the season’s All-star team is going to be chosen by those who know best just who has made the grade week in and week out: the fans.

From a selection of 32 players, four in each position and also the season’s best defensive player, fans are being asked to choose their own All-star team.

Players from 15 nations and from 12 clubs in the current VELUX EHF Champions League season have been selected.

The vote will be open until Wednesday 1 May 2013. The fans’ choice for the VELUX EHF Champions League All-star team will be announced during the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne on 1 and 2 June 2013.

Online voting

Voting is open immediately and will run until 1 May 2013. Fans can choose their VELUX EHF Champions League 2012/13 team online or via the ehfCL.com website.

Here are the profiles for the 32 nominees:

Left Wing

		Anders Eggert (SG Flensburg Handewitt) The Dane has had to fill big shoes at Flensburg as successor to the legendary left wing Lars Christiansen but he has more than proved himself. The two-times EHF EURO champion is one of the highest scorers in the VELUX EHF Champions League this season and was the topscorer of the last World Championship in Spain.
		Timur Dibirov (Chekhovskie Medvedi) This is Dibirov’s ninth successive EHF Champions League season with Chekhovskie Medvedi. Named the best left wing at the 2013 World Championship in Spain for Russia, he ranks amongst this season’s top scorers.
		Jonas Källman (BM Atlético Madrid) One of the tallest wingers in the competition was part of the trophy winning team at all three cases in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Just before this season he won a silver medal at the London Olympics with Sweden followed by a victory in the IHF Superglobe. His presence on scoring sheets is not too frequent, but he is still the priceless component of Atletico´s surprising run to the top eight.
		Valur Guðjon Sigurðsson (THW Kiel) The Icelandic jewel has been lured to the defending champions by the coach Alfred Gislason after he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 with AG København last season. In the current season the 2008 Olympic silver medallist made it twice to the ehfTV best seven of the round and was member of the 2012 Olympic all star team.

Left Back

		Borut Mačkovšek (RK Celje Pivovarna Laško) In less than two years Mačkovšek has become one of the key players in Celje and many see him as a worthy successor of the legendary sniper Aleš Pajovič on the left back position in the national team of Slovenia. He scored 20 goals against Hamburg in the Last 16.
		Michał Jurecki (KS Vive Targi Kielce) Kielce’s powerful left back Jurecki returned to Poland after a three season stint in Germany and is one of the club’s most consistent scorers. 28-year-old Jurecki reached the 2007 WCh final and has made over 100 appearances for his country.
		Siarhei Rutenka (FC Barcelona Intersport) In 2011 the Belarusian became the second player to win five CL titles with three clubs (in 2004 with Celje, three-times with Ciudad Real, and with Barca in 2011). Left back, who often switches to the pivot, has been the CL’s top scorer twice. Rutenka led Barcelona with 62 goals after the Last 16.
		Filip Jícha (THW Kiel) The left and centre back was the first Czech player ever to be world handball player of the year. The two-times CL winner (2010 and 2012) was twice top scorer of this competition. He is a permanent danger to all defence sides with his one-against-one action and his tough shots.

Line player

		Julen Aguinagalde (BM Atlético Madrid) He is one of the world’s top line players and presence on the line is a key for Atlético. The reigning World champion with Spain has proven that this season with his nomination for World Handball Player of the Year 2012 and being named on the 2013 WCh All-Star team.
		Markus Ahlm (THW Kiel) The THW team captain is playing his last season in Kiel after winning the CL three times (2007, 2010, 2012). The line player is once again the core of the THW defence and has been a constant threat from the six metre line for more than a decade.
		Igor Vori (HSV Hamburg) The Croatian giant owns an accolade of eight medals from the major international tournaments including the Olympic gold from 2004 and World champion title one year before. In this season he belongs among the top scoring line players of the VELUX EHF Champions League and he is very often a starting point of Lindberg´s breakaways.
		Matej Gaber (RK Gorenje Velenje) He is the member of Slovenian “new wave” of rising stars and a constant part of the national team. Despite being just 21, he already became one of the most prominent line players in the European top flight. His skills could not be overlooked for too long as French powerhouse from Montpellier have already managed to sign the youngster.

Centre Back

		Daniel Narcisse (THW Kiel) The nickname “Air France” speaks for itself as there is hardly any player in the VELUX EHF Champions League with similar jumping abilities. The reigning World Handball Player of the year can pride himself with six gold medals from top events (two each from Olympics, World Championships and EHF EURO).
		Thomas Mogensen (SG Flensburg Handewitt) The reigning European champion announced his retirement from the national team before this season, but his great performances in the VELUX EHF Champions League might have inspired him for a comeback just in time for the home EHF EURO next January. With 46 goals he is one of the most prolific scorer on the centre back position.
		Daniel Sarmiento (FC Barcelona Intersport) He was on the team who won the 2011 edition of the VELUX EHF Champions League and is one of seven recent world champions of Spain. His playmaker´s skills put an important signature under 62 goals of Rutenka and 41 goals of Nøddesbo in this season so far.
		Marko Bezjak (RK Gorenje Velenje) He has been one of the top shooters this season and recently has become a corner stone in the defence too. In his third VELUX EHF Champions League season Slovenian international he ranked third on the scoring list of the playmakers after the Last 16.

Right Back

		Jure Dolenec (RK Gorenje Velenje) The 24-year-old tall sharp shooter played his second season in Velenje. He was a topscorer of his team piling up 64 goals. Despite his young age he is already a key player in the Slovenian national team and was their best scorers at the last World Championship in Spain, when Slovenia reached their first ever WCh semi-final.
		Kiril Lazarov (BM Atlético Madrid) A classic shooter from FYR Macedonia, Lazarov is the most successful scorer at a single EHF EURO event (2012 in Serbia) with 61 goals and a world championship (2009 in Croatia) with 92 goals. He was also twice top scorer of the CL and in this season he leads his team in goals before quarter-finals.
		László Nagy (MKB Veszprém KC) It was THE transfer of year, when right back Nagy returned to his home-country after 12 years at FC Barcelona. He started a major handball euphoria in Hungary and Veszprém this season. The two-time CL winner is one of the best left handed players in the world with strengths in attack and defence.
		Steffen Weinhold (SG Flensburg Handewitt) His growing importance in the German national team was underlined last January when he was fifth in the team in time spent on the court. He transferred from Gummersbach to Flensburg before the season, just in time to fill the void after a massive injury wave in the team.

Right Wing

		Hans Lindberg (HSV Hamburg) The Danish right wing was four times among the three best scorers of German Bundesliga. The two-times EHF EURO champion and runner-up at the 2011 WCh in Sweden with the Danish national team and is the most successful HSV shooter in the past years. He leads all scorers after the Last 16 with 80 goals.
		Gašper Marguč (RK Celje Pivovarna Laško) Only a few would tout him as a serious contender for a goal-scoring crown this season, but his 72 goals were more than impressive. The speedy Slovenian winger paid no respect to the defending champions THW Kiel and recorded 18 goals against them in two matches of the group phase.
		Ivan Čupić (Vive Targi Kielce) The Croatian right wing was the second best goal scorer at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has been an essential part of the national team harvesting medals at the top tournaments in recent years. His goals flurry in this season was stopped at 49 after seven matches by an injury.
		Christian Sprenger (THW Kiel) He was voted for the top right wing at the last EHF EURO in Serbia, but several months after the tournament he quit the national team of Germany. In this season he can focus only on the VELUX EHF Champions League and Bundesliga and he is a priceless piece in the puzzle of the defending champions.

Goalkeeper

		Mattias Andersson (SG Flensburg Handewitt) The goalkeeper won the EHF Champions League in 2007 with his former club THW Kiel. Thanks to his saves Flensburg won the Cup Winners’ Cup last season. He is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the whole competition. He won a silver medal with the Sweden at London 2012.
		Thierry Omeyer (THW Kiel) No current player of all CL clubs has collected more titles than the French goalkeeper: three times world champion, twice Olympic champion, two times EHF EURO champion, four times CL champion, world handball player of the year and nearly 20 domestic titles are on Omeyer’s tally.
		Darko Stanić (HC Metalurg) At the successful EHF EURO 2012 he was awarded best goalkeeper of the tournament and won the silver medal with his Serbia. He wants to finish his career in Skopje and is one of the main reasons why Metalurg have reached the top eight for the first time ever.
		Silvio Heinevetter (Füchse Berlin) The current number one goalkeeper in the German national team was one of the keys for the Füchse’s success in their debut season at the CL when they reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2012. Like a typical goalkeeper, he is a little bit crazy, showing unorthodox moves and is extremely emotional.

Best defender

		Tobias Karlsson (SG Flensburg Handewitt) The Flensburg team captain played at the London Olympics last August where his team of Sweden won the silver medals. Last season he lifted the trophy of the last edition of the Cup Winners´ Cup with Flensburg, in this season he is one of key players of SG at the own end of the court.
		Viran Morros (FC Barcelona Intersport) Two seasons ago he changed the club, after switching from Ciudad Real to the fiercest rivals, but his mission has remained intact – intercepting opponents’ passes, stopping their breakaways and blocking their shots. He was in charge of similar duties at the last World championship where his team won the gold medals.
		Joan Cañellas (BM Atlético Madrid) After Morros departure from Atletico, Canellas had to overtake some of his tasks in the defence of Atlético. He was one of only two Madrid´s players on the national team last January when Spain won the gold medals at the World Championships. In this season of the VELUX EHF Champions League he proves his value on both ends of the court being not only great defender but also the second best goal scorer of his team.
		István Timuzsin Schuch (MKB Veszprém KC) The only player in the VELUX EHF Champions League with Mongolian descent was a part of the national team of Hungary who made it to the top four of the London Olympics. The second lowest total of goals against in the Group Phase is also an evidence of Schuch´s work at organising the defence of the Hungarian champions.

Online voting

Voting is open immediately and will run until 1 May 2013. Fans can choose their VELUX EHF Champions League 2012/13 team online or via the ehfCL.com website.