Jim Gottfridsson has been a central figure in the national handball team for many years, not least in some of the most successful championships.
When Sweden took the European Championship silver in Croatia in 2018, Gottfridsson was named the tournament's "MVP".
The same thing happened when the long-awaited European Championship gold was won in Budapest four years later.
I may not be able to return completely to the level I was at during my "prime time", but that's where I want to be, he says.
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And it will be needed.
In the latest championships, Jim Gottfridsson and Felix Claar have shared the role of center. But now Claar, who over time has emerged as Sweden's sharpest attacking weapon, is injured and will miss the World Championship.
"World-class"
Everyone knows that Felix has world-class qualities and I would have liked to see him whole. But now it will be a lot more responsibility on me and it feels good. The more I play, the safer I become, says "Gotte".
If Gottfridsson is a tactical playmaker, Claar is more attack-minded and has his strengths in duel play. It's a gap that at least partially needs to be filled.
National team coach Michael Apelgren:
We know that Jim is smart and plays for the team and sets up the game nicely and has many assists – we know that about him. The question is whether he also scores those five goals, so that we instead of 27 goals in a match score 32. That's where the difference might be in our attacking game.
"Creates uncertainty"
That Apelgren has high thoughts about Jim Gottfridsson is no secret. He has recruited the center to his Hungarian club Pick Szeged from next season, while Gottfridsson has had a decreasing role in Flensburg-Handewitt, where he has played since 2013.
He's 30+ now and the trend in recent years has not pointed upwards. But it's because of the situation in Flensburg, I think. Can we together turn it around a bit – and get out his full potential? That's what will be exciting to see, says the national team coach.
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Besides Claar, the injured center halves Oscar Bergendahl and Max Darj are also missing from Sweden's World Championship squad. The blue and yellow team starts the group stage against Japan in Oslo on Thursday evening.
Goalkeepers: Andreas Palicka, Tobias Thulin, Fabian Norsten.
Left backs: Hampus Wanne, Lucas Pellas.
Center backs: Felix Möller, Andreas Nilsson.
Right backs: Niclas Ekberg, Sebastian Karlsson.
Left wings: Jonathan Carlsbogård, Eric Johansson, Olle Forsell Schefvert.
Center wings: Jim Gottfridsson, Jonathan Edvardsson.
Right wings: Albin Lagergren, Lukas Sandell, Edwin Aspenbäck.
