Andreas Palicka

Andreas Palicka
Palicka in 2017
Personal information
Full name Andreas Miroslav Palicka
Born (1986-07-10) 10 July 1986
Lund, Sweden
Nationality Swedish
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club HSG Wetzlar
Youth career
Years Team
–2002
 H 43 Lund
Senior clubs
Years Team
2002–2008
 Redbergslids IK
2008–2015
 THW Kiel
2015–2016
 Aalborg Håndbold
2016–12/2021
 Rhein-Neckar Löwen
12/2021–2022
 Redbergslids IK
2022–2025
 Paris Saint-Germain
2025–02/2026
 Kolstad Håndball
02/2026–06/2026
 HSG Wetzlar
2026–
 Füchse Berlin
National team 1
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2026
 Sweden 185 (19)
Medal record
World Championship
2021 Egypt
European Championship
2022 Hungary/Slovakia
2018 Croatia
2024 Germany
1 National team caps and goals correct
as of 2 February 2026

Andreas Miroslav Palicka (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpalɪka]; Czech: Palička, Czech pronunciation: [ˈpalɪtʃka]; born 10 July 1986) is a Swedish handball player for HSG Wetzlar.[1][2][3] He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.[4]

Club career

Palicka began his professional handball career at Redbergslids IK in 2002, where he joined from his childhood club H43 Lund. He joined German club THW Kiel in 2008 and won the German Championship and German Cup in his debut season with the team. Palicka went on to win five additional league titles, three additional cup titles, the EHF Champions League twice, the IHF Super Globe, and four German Super Cup titles during his time with the club.

In 2015, he moved to Danish side Aalborg Håndbold.[5] Following a season with the club, Palicka returned to Germany and signed for Rhein-Neckar Löwen in 2016. Here he was goalkeeper partner with national team colleague Mikael Appelgren.[4] With the Lions he won the league, cup and two super cup titles, before returning to Redbergslids in 2021. He was signed to help them avoid relegation, which they managed to do.[6] Palicka joined French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2022[7] and won the French Championship in his first season with the club.

On January 2, 2025, Palicka signed a two-year contract with Kolstad Håndball from 2025 to 2027,[8] where he replaced Norwegian national team goalkeeper Torbjørn Bergerud who went to the Polish handball club Wisla Plock. With the club he came second in both the Norwegian Championship and the Norwegian Cup in the 2024-25 season. He left the club in February 2026 due to the club's precarious financial situation.[9] A few days later he announced that he would join German club HSG Wetzlar for the rest of the season and then join Füchse Berlin for the 2026-27 season.[10]

International career

Palicka began his international career by representing Sweden at youth level, playing for the under-19 and under-21 sides. He was part of the under-21 team that won the 2007 Junior World Championship.

Palicka made his debut for the Swedish national team in 2007.[11] He won the 2022 European Championship, placed second at the 2018 European Championship and 2021 World Championship, and finished third at the 2024 European Championship with the national team. Palicka represented Sweden at the 2020 Olympic Games,[12] where Sweden went out in the quarterfinals to Spain.[13]

He retired from the national team after the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship, where Sweden finished 6th.[3][14]

Personal life

Palicka is part Czech through his father.[15]

Honours

Club

THW Kiel

Rhein-Neckar Löwen

  • Bundesliga: 2017
  • DHB-Pokal: 2018
  • DHB-Supercup: 2017, 2018

Paris Saint-Germain

International

Individual awards

  • Swedish Handballer of the Year: 2020[16]
  • All-Star Goalkeeper of the World Championship: 2021[17]

References

  1. ^ EHF profile
  2. ^ "Statistic for Swedish National Team" (PDF). www.svenskhandboll.se. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Svensk stjerne stopper på landsholdet" (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026 – via Ritzau.
  4. ^ a b "VERDENS BESTE MÅLVAKTSPAR SKAL STOPPE NORGE" (in Norwegian). VG. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Andreas Palicka fra THW Kiel til Aalborg Håndbold på en tre-årig aftale" (in Danish). Aalborg Håndbold. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  6. ^ "Andreas Palicka klar för hemkomst!" (in Swedish). Redbergslids. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Andreas Palicka to join PSG Handball in 2022". Handball Planet. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Palicka på titteljakt med Kolstad" (in Norwegian). kolstad-handball.no. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Palicka færdig i Kolstad" (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026 – via Ritzau.
  10. ^ "Stjerne tilslutter sig Gidsel i Füchse" [Star joins Gidsel at Füchse] (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Andreas Palicka är folkets favorit – och viktigast i semifinalen". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 26 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  12. ^ "13 VM-silvermedaljörer i herrarnas OS-trupp" (in Swedish). Swedish Handball Federation. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  13. ^ IHF - Quarter finals Match Report - 2020 Olympics
  14. ^ "Sverige fullbordar fiaskot – slutar sexa" [Sweden completes fiasco - finishes 6th] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  15. ^ Näst flest guld i Bundesliga – nu jagar Palicka polaren by Ola Selby at Handbollskanalen.se, 24 October 2017.
  16. ^ "Andreas Palicka utsedd till årets spelare". Handbollslandslaget. 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Egypt 2021 All-star Team". ihf.info. 31 January 2021.
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