Jesper Nøddesbo: The ups and downs of a stellar career

Hosts Martin Vilstrup and Bengt Kunkel were joined by Nøddesbo’s former teammate and roommate Víctor Tomàs for a very special episode. Tomàs and Nøddesbo shared a room on camp and away matches for eight years , after a young Nøddesbo took the “big step” of going to Barcelona in 2007.

The line player revealed his best friend had been key to the move, threatening never to talk to Nøddesbo again if he refused the call.

“It was a very big step up for me culture-wise, and language, and also a very different type of handball,” Nøddesbo said, remembering that in his first week his nose was broken by Argentinian star Eric Gull as he made a jump shot.

Nøddesbo also opened up about the period he is most proud of in his career – winning his place back on the team after he was told he would no longer play for Barça. He spent the year working hard in the gym and eventually played in the EHF FINAL4 once more.

“Mentally I was worn out after that year, I was down. My world had become very narrow. The world was black and white. Either you were with me or you were against me. That is not a way I enjoy being in life, so I was not enjoying my life and I was not enjoying handball either,” Nøddesbo told ‘The Spin’.

He said the year had informed much of the rest of his career and taught him not to keep emotions locked away.

Nøddesbo said he had had no regrets about moving away from Barça to join Danish club Bjerringbro-Silkeborg in 2017, and he chose to take a step down in terms of the level he was playing  instead of accepting offers from the likes of THW Kiel.

He retired in 2021 after a year plagued by injury.

“I would really have loved to play a whole year without pain and leaving the field playing, but the reality was another,” Nøddesbo added.

Nøddesbo said his focus now was on being a dad; although he coaches his daughter’s handball team, he no longer goes to matches. Charity and media work are the other ways he fills his days, and he said he was content with his new life.

Watch the full episode of ‘The Spin’ featuring Jesper Nøddesbo here.