Jim Gottfridsson

Jim Gottfridsson (born 2 September 1992) is a Swedish handball player for IFK Ystad and the Swedish national team.

Considered one of the best players in the world, he has won five titles at club level, including the EHF Champions League, league championships and cup titles.

With the national team, Gottfridsson won the 2022 European Championship, finished as runner-up at the 2018 European Championship and the 2021 World Championship, and placed third at the 2024 European Championship. He was named most valuable player (MVP) of the European Championship in 2018 and 2022, and voted best centre back of the World Championship in 2021. Gottfridsson represented Sweden at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.

Career In 1996 and aged four, Gottfridsson joined home town club IFK Ystad. In 2011, he joined top division team Ystads IF. After two years, he signed for German team SG Flensburg-Handewitt. In his first season, he won the EHF Champions League with SG by defeating arch-rivals THW Kiel 30–28 in the final.

In the following years, Gottfridsson won the DHB-Pokal (2015) and the German championship twice (2018, 2019). He was voted MVP of the 2020–21 season.

Gottfridsson was nominated as IHF World Player of the Year for 2021, finishing second in the vote behind Niklas Landin.

In summer 2025 he joined Hungagian side Pick Szeged after 12 years at Flensburg-Handewitt. He has stated that among his reasons for leaving the club is the fact, that he has not felt appreciated and important enough to the team after seeing less playing time under Danish coach Nicolej Krickau. In April 2026 Pick Szeged decided to unilaterally cancel Gottfridsons contract; a decision which he protested saying that 'the club had taken the decision without consulting him' and that he considers the decision to be 'unlawful'.

Honours Club EHF Champions League 2014 EHF European League 2024, 2025 Handball-Bundesliga 2018, 2019 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 2014, 2015 DHB-Pokal 2015 2014, 2016, 2017 DHB-Supercup: 2019 2015, 2018, 2020

International EHF European Championship 2022 2018 2024 IHF World Championship 2021

Individual All-Star Centre back of the World Championship: 2021 Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the European Championship: 2018, 2022 Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Handball-Bundesliga: 2020–21 Swedish Handballer of the Year: 2018, 2022 Handball-Planet – Best World Handball Player: 2022