“Handball is my life” says Roland Mikler for ‘Dare to Rise’

The city of Szeged in southern Hungary may not big the biggest on a European scale, but in handball terms, it is firmly on the map thanks to its club, OTP Bank – PICK Szeged, establishing itself as an EHF Champions League mainstay for over a decade.

This season alone, the club has defeated former champions SC Magdeburg and Industria Kielce, and gone toe-to-toe with last season’s finalists Barça and Aalborg Håndbold.

Win or lose, every match for Szeged is a battle, but they always have a chance, thanks to their last line of defence, veteran goalkeeper Roland Mikler.

In the latest episode of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League documentary series, ‘Dare to Rise’, the 40-year-old Hungarian discusses what it truly means to fight for every moment on the court as he remains the backbone of the team.

That status comes with its own pressures; Mikler reflects on what it takes to stay, as he puts it, “lightning fast” and maintain his elite performance levels at his age, while not only mentoring the next generation but being pushed all the time by 29-year-old teammate Tobias Thulin, out to take his place in the side.