Emil Nielsen started playing handball at the age of 10 and made his debut for Aarhus Håndbold at 17. In the 2014–15 season, he achieved the best save ratio in Herreligaen, with 38%. By age 19, Danish coach Ulrik Wilbek had already labeled him as the "biggest talent" in his position.[5]
At the end of the 2016 season, when he was 20 years old, Nielsen was diagnosed with meningitis, a condition that nearly ended his career.[6] Despite his health challenges, Nielsen attracted interest from Danish club Skjern Håndbold, who signed him even though he was unable to participate at the start of the season.[7]
Two years later, he made his international debut for the Denmark national team.[7] However, he did not achieve immediate success with the Danish national team and was left out in 2019 after national coach Nikolaj Jacobsen stated that he did not meet the "professional standards" required.[8][9] He was reportedly deemed insufficiently stable in his goalkeeping and not diligent in following his training regimen, according to national team goalkeeping coach Michael Bruun.[8]
In 2019, he signed a three-year contract with the French LNH Division 1 club HBC Nantes, which, according to TV 2 Denmark, paid a transfer fee of approximately DKK 1 million.[10] Nielsen enjoyed a successful stint at Nantes, and in 2022, he signed with FC Barcelona Handbol.[11] There, he won the treble in his first season.
His breakthrough on the Danish national team would come at the 2024 European Championship, where he had the tournament's overall highest saving percentage and the third most overall saves.[12] Nielsen ended up starring in the final, being named player of the match, though he was unable to secure victory, as Denmark lost to France in extra time.[13]
Personal life
Nielsen grew up in Aarhus, Denmark. He began his primary education at Laursens Realskole in 2004, continued his studies at Risskov Efterskole, and completed his secondary education at Marselisborg Gymnasium from 2014 to 2016.[14]
During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Nielsen's father died, but he stayed in Paris and continued to compete, contributing to Denmark's gold medal victory.[15] He received support from teammates and psychological assistance during the tournament.[16]
