He is 38 years old – but still world class.
Now Andreas Palicka gives a clear message about the future.
– I don’t want to say that it’s over because it’s still going really well, he says to Aftonbladet.
Andreas Palicka has become a bit of the face of the Swedish national handball team in the past year. He is a big star in the club team PSG, and in the national team he has an almost rare ability to step forward with decisive saves when needed most.
“It was a darkness”
Despite being 38 years old, he is still a key player in Sweden who is tipped to challenge for the gold in this summer’s Olympics. But the Olympics in particular may not have been Palicka’s favorite tournament. He was not in either 2012 or 2016, and in 2021 he had just injured his knee. He was certainly involved, but was severely hampered, and did not offer any big play.
Three years later, he says it was a “great darkness”.
– The Olympics in Tokyo were a great darkness for me. I couldn’t do myself justice. I did half a tournament with some good matches but just thinking about my knee the whole time. At the time, I didn’t think I would be eligible for the Olympics in Paris. It will be fun and damn motivating with a new chance, says Palicka to Aftonbladet.
The message about the future
Andreas Palicka has one year left on his contract with the big club PSG. He still thinks he is top class, but he doesn’t know what will happen when the contract ends.
– I don’t want to say that it’s over because it’s still going really well. I think I’m up there at the top of the world and everyone around me seems to think so too. But if I were to extend or play for another club, it’s not a three-year contract you sign as a 38-year-old, he says.
But one thing he knows for sure, this is his last Olympics. But he does not rule out playing in the national team after the summer, especially since the World Cup in Norway is only six months away.
– Let’s play the Olympics first and we’ll think about it later, he says.
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