16.01.2016, 01:45
Champions League greats star at EHF EURO 2016

FACTS AND FIGURES: 130 VELUX EHF Champions League participants representing 23 clubs are currently on court in Poland

Champions League greats star at EHF EURO 2016

130 of the 251 players (51.7%) nominated for the EHF EURO 2016 in Poland, according to the squad lists submitted by the teams at the technical meetings on 14/15 January, are contracted by current VELUX EHF Champions League participants. 

From a club perspective, 23 of the 28 clubs that are or were competing in the 2015/16 group phase of Europe’s premier club competition are represented at the flagship event in Poland.

HC Vardar have the highest number of players at the EURO 2016 (12), while FC Barcelona Lassa and Rhein-Neckar Löwen are the most diverse with their players representing eight different countries at the EURO.

In terms of national teams, 13 of the 15 Spanish players nominated so far at the EHF EURO are representing EHF Champions League clubs, ahead of Croatia (12), France (11), Poland, Sweden, Slovenia and Denmark (each 10). 

When it comes to EHF EURO groups, fans in Wroclaw see the biggest number of current Champions League players (38 in Group C), ahead of Krakow (37 players in Group A), Gdansk (29 in Group B) and Katowice (26 in Group D).

Funnily enough, Denmark are the only side without any Champions League players from domestic clubs, while the ten Swedish Champions League players come from eight different clubs, and Montenegro have only one Champions League player in their EURO squad. In Flensburg’s squad, none of their nine EURO participants have a German passport – but there are five Danish representatives from the club. 

In terms of players with the same passport from the same club, Paris Saint-Germain Handball is on top with seven Frenchmen, ahead of those five Flensburg Danes and five Poles in the Kielce squad. 

RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko, HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb, Meshkov Brest, MVM Veszprem and Barcelona each have four players with a passport that matches the club’s home nation. 

Club statistics

Number of players/number of nations represented:

12 players:
HC Vardar (MKD): 12 players/5 countries (MKD, SRB, CRO, ESP, RUS)

11 players:
Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA): 11 players/4 countries (FRA, ISL, DEN, MNE)

10 players:
FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP): 10 players/7 countries (FRA, POL, MKD, CRO, ISL, ESP, DEN)
MVM Veszprem (HUN): 10 players/6 countries (CRO, ISL, ESP, SWE, SLO, HUN)
KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL): 10 players/5 countries (POL, CRO, ESP, GER, SLO)

9 players:
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER): 9 players/3 countries (FRA, SWE, DEN)

8 players:
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER): 8 players/7 countries (MKD, ISL, NOR, ESP, SWE, GER, DEN)
THW Kiel (GER): 8 players/6 countries (CRO, NOR, ESP, SWE, GER, DEN)

7 players:
MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN): 7 players/5 countries (POL, ESP, SWE, SLO, HUN)

6 players:
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL): 6 players/3 countries (POL, SRB, RUS)

5 players:
Montpellier HB (FRA): 5 players/2 countries (SLO, FRA)
HC PPD Zagreb (CRO): 5 players/2 countries (CRO, MKD)
Meshkov Brest (BLR): 5 players/2 countries (BLR/RUS)

4 players:
IFK Kristianstad (SWE): 4 players/3 countries (NOR, SWE, HUN)
RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO): 4 players/1 country (SLO)

3 players:
HC Metalurg (MKD): 3 players/1 country (MKD)

2 players:
Besiktas MOGAZ HT (TUR): 2 players/2 countries (SRB, MKD)
HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR): 2 players/2 countries (BLR; RUS)
Skjern Handbold (DEN): 2 players/2 countries (SWE, NOR)
Elverum Handball (NOR): 2 players/1 country (NOR)
Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS): 2 players/1 country (RUS)
RK Vojvodina (SRB): 2 players/1 country (SRB)

1 player:
Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP): 1 player/1 country (SWE)

Nations’ statistics:

13 Champions League players from 8 clubs: Spain
12 Champions League players from 6 clubs: Croatia
11 Champions League players from 4 clubs: France
10 Champions League players from 8 clubs: Sweden
10 Champions League players from 5 clubs: Denmark
10 Champions League players from 5 clubs: Slovenia
10 Champions League players from 4 clubs: Poland
9 Champions League players from 6 clubs: FYR Macedonia
8 Champions League players from 5 clubs: Russia
7 Champions League players from 5 clubs: Norway
7 Champions League players from 4 clubs: Serbia
7 Champions League players from 3 clubs: Hungary
5 Champions League players from 4 clubs: Iceland
5 Champions League players from 3 clubs: Germany
5 Champions League players from 2 clubs: Belarus
1 Champions League players from1 club: Montenegro

TEXT: Bjorn Pazen / cg