Vardar dominate VELUX EHF Champions League All-star Team

Fans of the VELUX EHF Champions League have voted for their 2018/19 All-star Team, naming the nine players and one coach who have impressed them most over the course of the season.

This year’s All-star Team was unveiled on Friday 31 May ahead of the VELUX EHF FINAL4, which starts in Cologne on Saturday with the first semi-final between Telekom Veszprém HC and PGE Vive Kielce.

The team features four HC Vardar players and their coach, Robert Garcia Parrondo, thanks to the enthusiastic support of the club’s fans, who voted in large numbers for their favourites.

Fans voted throughout May on the relaunched VELUX EHF FINAL4 app, picking from a list of five players in each position, who were nominated by the competition’s coaches, Forum Club Handball, the faces of the VELUX EHF Champions League, media correspondents and the EHF. 

Vardar’s goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev, left wing Timur Dibirov, right back Dainis Kristopans and right wing Ivan Cupic all won places in the All-star Team.

None of last season’s All-star Team feature this year, but three players – Dibirov, Cupic and Paris Saint-Germain Handball left back Mikkel Hansen – have all appeared in the team in previous seasons. Hansen was named in the team in 2016/17, Dibirov secured a spot in 2013/14, and Cupic was the All-star right wing in 2012/13. 

The remaining places in this year’s All-star Team are taken by Kielce line player Julen Aguinagalde and Veszprém’s centre back Kentin Mahe and Blaz Blagotinsek, as best defender. Barça Lassa line player Ludovic Fabregas, who won the Champions League trophy last year with Montpellier, is named as the All-star Team young player. 

Apart from Hansen, the entire All-star Team will be in action at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2019. The match between Veszprém and Kielce throws off at 15:15, followed by the second semi-final between Barça Lassa and Vardar at 18:00. Both matches will be streamed live on ehfTV.com. 

Fans can keep up to date with the tournament through the VELUX EHF FINAL4 app, which provides detailed player and team statistics as well as all the essential information for the weekend.

The VELUX EHF Champions League 2018/19 All-star Team

Goalkeeper: Dejan Milosavljev (SRB) – HC Vardar/MKD
Left wing: Timur Dibirov (RUS) – HC Vardar/MKD
Left back: Mikkel Hansen (DEN) – Paris Saint-Germain HB/FRA
Centre back: Kentin Mahe (FRA) – Telekom Veszprém HC/HUN
Right back: Dainis Kristopans (LAT) – HC Vardar/MKD
Right wing: Ivan Cupic (CRO) – HC Vardar/MKD
Line player: Julen Aguinagalde (ESP) – PGE Vive Kielce/POL
Defender: Blaz Blagotinsek (SLO) - Telekom Veszprém HC/HUN
Young player: Ludovic Fabregas (FRA) - Barça Lassa/ESP
Coach: Robert Garcia Parrondo (ESP) – HC Vardar/MKD