PHOTO: Bildbyrån
He is one of our most popular televised sports profiles.
Today we pay tribute to the favorite Claes Hellgren on his 69th birthday.
And the expert commentator reveals his absolute favorite handball players.
The Claes Hellgren don’t know about handball – isn’t worth knowing at all. He is “Mr. Handball” and has been faithful to the sport ever since 1967 when he saw his very first international match in a championship.
Hellgren’s career
Only 12 years old, little Claes saw the World Cup semi-final between Denmark and Czechoslovakia in place in Rocklundahallen in Västerås. Since then, there have been almost 60 championships as a player, manager, spectator and TV pundit over the years.
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Hellgren became a handball goalkeeper early in life and was brought up in the Västerås club Irsta HF. The A-team debut came in the early 70s and in 1983 he would write Swedish handball history.
Wrote history
After playing in Guif and Heim, Claes Hellgren became, together with Björn Jilsen, the first Swedish handball players to turn professional when they signed for the Tres de Mayo team in Tenerife. He also left a big mark on the Swedish national team with a whopping 214 international matches between the posts, however without picking up any blue and yellow medals.
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In 1984, a completely new career began as a TV expert at SVT. First he became a radar pair together with the legend Arne Hegerfors but it is the move to TV4 and the friendship of Robert Perlskog which best characterizes Hellgren.
Friend Perlskog
Hellgren and Perlskog spent 27 long years together as an inseparable super duo when it came to Swedish national handball matches. Finally they were separated at Viaplay but Claes refused to retire for it.
READ MORE: TV profile Claes Hellgren close to dying in huge drama – rushed to hospital: “I wouldn’t have survived”
At 69 years old, he continues to talk handball on prime time and has no plans to stop. But for someone who knows everything about handball, you are really curious about who are his absolute favorite players over the years.
– Tomas Svensson, Magnus Andersson, Erik Hajas, Bella Gulldén and Mia Hermansson, reveals Hellgren in an interview with Expressen.
Now we celebrate one of Sweden’s most popular TV experts on his birthday. Share the article to congratulate Claes Hellgren! 🎉
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