| Sport | Handball |
|---|---|
| Competition | International Handball |
| Awarded for | Best Performance in International Handball Competitions |
| History | |
| First award | 1988 |
| Most wins | Men: Mikkel Hansen Nikola Karabatić(3 awards each) Women:  Cristina Neagu(4 awards) |
| Most recent | Men:Mathias Gidsel (2nd title) Women:  Henny Reistad (2nd title) |
TheIHF World Player of the Year is ahandball award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season, both at club and international competitions. It is awarded based on votes from experts, media and fans.
The award was awarded by IHF since 1988 in both Men's and Women's Category separately.
No award was awarded in the years 1991, 1992, 1993, 2017, 2020 and 2022.[1][2]
While the IHF has only reported awards since 1988, other players have been voted best players in the world before.
Thus, theRomanianȘtefan Birtalan was elected World Player of the Year in 1974, 1976 and 1977.[15] AndIoan Moser of Romania was also named "Best Handball Player in the World” in 1964.[16]
In 1992,Gheorghe Gruia of Romania was named Best Player of All Time by theInternational Handball Federation.[17][18]
In 2000,Magnus Wislander of Sweden andZinaida Turchyna of Ukraine were elected Players of the 20th Century by the IHF.[19][20]
In 2010,Ivano Balić of Croatia andSvetlana Kitić of Yugoslavia were voted Best Players Ever in an online poll organized by the IHF.[21][22]
In 2000, the official bulletin of theInternational Handball Federation,World Handball Magazine, choseGheorghe Gruia,Ioan Moser andCornel Penu as members of the "Team of the Century".[23]
In 2010, the fans votedThierry Omeyer as world's best goalkeeper ever.[24] And in 2011, the fans voted forLuminița Dinu (born Huțupan) as best female goalkeeper ever.[25]
Previously in 2009,Steffen Fäth andCristina Neagu respectively wonRookie of the Year award for male and female.[26]
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| Africa |
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| North America and Caribbean |
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| Defunct | ||
