Maybe he is not from nearby, but he has no match. Exclusively for Balkan-Handball, this is Kaspet Hvidt, best goalkeeper of planet Earth. You could witness his superiority between the goalposts in January, when he had lead the Danish team towards its first European gold on the European Championship in Norway. As the season comes to an end, he wants the same thing with his Barcelona, that is - the gold. It's a triple dare - Spanish Cup, Spanish National Championship and Champions League. We have asked Kasper Hvidt about the Champions League, which he hasn't won yet, ASOBAL, Danish national team and "the secret" of his success.   

Hello, Kasper. The big match in the semifinals of the Champions League starts this weekend. Your rival is Kiel, current European champion and a team that plays a "supersonic" handball. What do you expect?  

Victory! It will be tough, but I expect us to win. Last season we had played Kiel with Portland San Antonio (Kasper came to Barcelona from Portland) and lost by 1 goal. We could say that we were out of "sports luck". But this year I want to win. It is the only thing on my mind. I am not interested in anything else.  

How close is Barcelona to the European crown? You personally haven't conquered the Champions League yet. The motive must be huge ...  

It has been my dream throughout my entire career to win the Champions League. I played the finals once and lost, but I do plan to fulfill my dreams. All the other teams, Kiel, Cuidad, HSV, are great too and have their chances, but I think that I can accomplish my goals this season already. I am sure of that.  

You have won the ASOBAL titles with Leon and Portland. Is it now Barca's turn? You are behind by two points, but have the deciding match with Cuidad Real.   

We are in a good situation, because it is all up to us. Everything is in our hands. We have to win it all till the end of season. If we continue to play the way we do now, we will win the ASOBAL, we have great motive for that. It is the most important that we do not rely on others.  

The national team of Denmark, the "all-time bronze medalist", became the European champion in Norway. What are the impressions two months after like? 

Honestly, I only think about Barca. That's the only thing that matters right now. I have the winning of Euro on my mind, but I just do not have the time to collect my thoughts since it is important to concentrate on winning the club title.  

What about your coach Ulrik Vilbek? What did he bring to your team? We have heard of specific methods of dealing with "looser mentality" and the "barrier of semifinal game" . . .  

Well, he is one of the best tacticians in the world. He deals with every single one of the 16, 18 or 20 players on the list, having played or not, in the way, that every player considers himself an important part of the team. Every single one of us knows, he can bring something new to the team, some kind of improvement, when he enters the court. That is one of the best things that Ulrik has brought to this team. Every player is capable and ready to change something on the court. Everyone knows he matters.  

What can we expect from the Olympics? Can you repeat what Denmark's women's team had done in the Athens? Is this "your" year? 

It is every elite sportsman's dream to go to the Olympics, not to talk about winning an Olympic medal. It will be very tough, but if we have the capacity to win another European Championship, why not win the Olympics? We believe we can do it.  

How do you get ready for the game? Do you have the whole selection of potential shots of various players on your mind? How interested are you in "collective tactics", watching videos and how much do you focus on yourself?  

I watch the videos, the players, but at the same time it matters to me a lot whether the game is fast or slow. Also, it matters to me how much I will be able to communicate with my teammates in the defense, whether the team is tall, whether the majority of the shots will come from jump-shot or from the ground. In short, the communication with my teammates in the defense is of huge importance to me.  

What is the most important thing to do to become a "world-class" goalkeeper? We can see you are in some kind of a trance when you play.  

I get extremely aggressive on the court. That is always important to me. If I am calm, that is simply not me.  
Which one of your "goalkeeping colleagues" do you respect the most? 

To me, the greatest goalkeeper in the world is Tomas Svensson. In Denmark, I had the honor to train under the auspices of Mirko Bašič and liked the way he worked with me. I have though never seen him play, since in the 90's I did not have a lot of opportunities to watch foreign networks in Denmark. That is why I mostly "copied" Svensson and so he is the greatest to me.  

You have played with a lot of players from the Balkans and you still do. What do you think of them as players and as people? 

The Serbs and others from Balkans in general have always been great handball players. They have it in the blood, they are aggressive, explosive and they jump high. They have good techniques/passing skills. There are a lot of quality players from Balkans in Spain and that region really has a great handball tradition. 

We say in the Balkans that this is "the handball region of Europe". How do you comment that, being a Scandinavian?  

Well, there are a lot of you. It is important that every child holds some kind of a ball in his hands, be it handball, basketball or football. It is important that children do sports. Which one has the best handball school doesn't matter. Every school gives some great players. We and the Balkans have the biggest tradition in that. You put a lot of emphasis on techniques and we in Denmark focus more on the work in fitness and the physical condition and include the training with the ball latter on.  

How long do you intend to play? "Working periods" for goalkeepers have been prolonged. Do you too plan to celebrate your 40's in the goal? 

I don't know. I am 32 now and I feel good. Until I will be able to help my teams, I will be a goalkeeper. I don't know what will come after the end of my career,. We'll see. I do not have any plans. I am finishing my studies and we'll see what time brings. 

At the end, please send a message to the young handball players who read this interview. What does it take to become a great handball player? 

Do not have illusions about the big clubs. Whenever you come to a club and begin to train, you have to think about one thing only - "I have to progress, I have to improve". 
 

ŽIKA BOGDANOVIĆ  

Translation: MARKO VRBIČ