Hampus Wanne: “Now it's really more about the mental bit”

“It's strange but also fun. You can tell you don't have the same rhythm as you do in the autumn,” says Wanne about this point of the season, when Barça have the familiar task of wrapping up the domestic campaign — in which they are accustomed to being dominant.

“We also have a Copa del Rey to play, the cup, the weekend before. It's three games in three days, which is also tough, so we have that to go in the domestic and then gather as much power as possible until the FINAL4.”

The last time Barça missed the EHF FINAL4 was in 2017/18, when Melvyn Richardson, now part of the Barça squad, took the title with Montpellier, before being named MVP of the 2024 edition as Barça reclaimed the trophy from SC Magdeburg. All in all, Barça have played at 12 of the 15 total EHF FINAL4 events

There is a certain art to playing any tournament, and Barça must be considered the masters of the EHF FINAL4. 

“You can really feel the tension. It's the biggest event. But then you just try and go and want to win it. That's the important bit, so you have the mentality that you want to win,” says Wanne. 

“I was also here last year when we won it. This group has a very special mentality. Even if we can play bad sometimes, the goal is always to try and turn it around so we can win. We never let the focus go from that. And you also know that in the FINAL4, a lot can happen, as we see almost every year. It's so tight, almost all the games. A lot of things can happen.”

Wanne was no stranger to the EHF FINAL4 before joining Barça in 2022. Coming from nine seasons with SG Flensburg-Handewitt, Wanne was a crucial part of the German side’s title win in 2014, when he played a role as one of the hungry youngsters who turned the semi-final around in the final minutes and netted the penalty that knocked out none other than Barça. Exactly 10 years apart, he has celebrated two EHF Champions League trophies won so far. 

The Swedish international, who was named All-star Team left wing at both the EHF EURO 2024 and 2021 IHF World Championship, as well as in the EHF Champions League 2021/22, is at the business end of his 12th EHF Champions League season. Looking back at Barça’s journey to Cologne, he finds that it was “a very tough group stage, with, I believe, the toughest group that's ever been in Champions League. We knew that going in.

“We managed to qualify directly to the quarter-finals, which was great, but it's a long journey and you can never underestimate anyone, especially in Champions League. It's been a tough year for a lot of players because a lot of the players also played the Olympics last summer, so it's basically like we played the two seasons in a row,” says Wanne. 

“Now it's really more about the mental bit — to gather power to be ready to compete.”

In Cologne, Barça will face SC Magdeburg — the only team other than Barça to have won the Machineseeker EHF Champions League since 2020. The German side triumphed in 2022/23, after ending Barça’s hopes in a semi-final decided on penalties.  

“We already started a little bit the basics, because it will be the biggest game of the season, the semi-final,” says Wanne, regarding how they build focus through the end of the domestic challenges up to the point they take the court against Magdeburg on Saturday 14 June. “The focus will be on Magdeburg, slowly, and then the closer we get, more into details. 

“They are a fantastic team. They also had this group of guys now for a few years, and they won everything together. It’s an incredibly tough opponent. They play very hard. A lot of one-against-one, as they have some of the best players in the world in this type of play. I think the last times we played against them you can see clearly that both teams have different, what do you say, philosophies. And that's why usually they are really entertaining games when we play against each other, but it will be very, very tough. They're incredibly good.” 

For Wanne, a chapter is about to close, as he will not only leave Barça at the end of the season but will farewell the EHF Champions League — at least for now. For Wanne, the time at Barça was quite unexpected:

“It’s been very cool to represent this club as a Swedish guy. For me at least, it wasn't even a goal I had because it feels so far away. My main goal was always to go to the Bundesliga and play there, but when I did it and got the opportunity to go here, I really wanted to do it. It's been very cool. I’m grateful for having the opportunity to play here,” says Wanne, highlighting that Barça is a club like no other. 

“When you live here and play here, you understand why the club is so successful. I will try and enjoy the last, what is it, three weeks that I have left.” 

The three-time EHF EURO medallist is set to join HØJ Elite in Denmark, where the ambitions are high and Wanne looks forward to a new kind of challenge. 

“It will be a different thing than I had before. I played Champions League and all the leagues for 12 years in a row now, so it will be strange to see the Champions League games on TV for the first time. But I'm looking forward to it a lot. I talked a lot to them before I decided to go there, and I believe in what they are trying to do. 

“And then, as a Swede, I will be very close to home, which is always also nice after 12 years.” 

photos © Marc Graupera (main and in-text), Victor Salgado, Uros Hocevar / kolektiff