All-star team announced at VELUX EHF FINAL4

Europe’s handball fans have made their decision. Their selection of the top players from the 2013/14 VELUX EHF Champions League season has been announced in Cologne.

27,000 fans voted for their best-performing players from a short-list of four players in each position, plus best defender.

Only four players present at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 made the cut. MKB-MVM Veszprem’s left back Momir Ilic, line player Renato Sulic and defence specialist Istvan Timuzsin Schuch have all won an award even before they took to the court in the LANXESS arena. Schuch has become the only player of the last year’s All-stars to defend his top position.

Also present at the event in Cologne is FC Barcelona’s back court ace Kiril Lazarov who was voted best right back. Despite their absence from the final weekend, PSG Handball’s Mikkel Hansen was voted best centre back and his teammate Luc Abalo became best right wing.

Rhein-Neckar Löwen goalkeeper Niklas Landin received the most votes for his position, and Vardar Skopje’s Russian international Timur Dibirov became best left wing for the second time in 16 months. He was also voted into the World Championship 2013 All-star team, while Hansen, Abalo and Landin were voted in the EHF EURO All-star team last January.

This is the third time that the European Handball Federation has asked fans to vote for the season’s best players. 20,000 participated last May, voting for the VELUX EHF Champions League 2012/13 All-stars and another 18,000 took part this April selecting the first Women’s EHF Champions League All-star team.

2013/14 VELUX EHF Champions League All-star Team

Left Wing - Timur Dibirov (Vardar Skopje) 36,11% (9,593)
Left Back - Momir Ilic (MKB-MVM Veszprem) 54,60% (14,507)
Line Player - Renato Sulic (MKB-MVM Veszprem) 56,45% (14,997)
Centre Back - Mikkel Hansen (PSG Handball) 43,99% (11,686)
Right Back - Kiril Lazarov (FC Barcelona) 42,04% (11,169)
Right Wing - Luc Abalo (PSG Handball) 42,73% (11,353)
Goalkeeper - Niklas Landin (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) 44,03% (11,699)
Best Defender - Timuzsin Schuch (MKB-MVM Veszprem) 49,27% (13,091)