He was hailed as Iceland’s greatest 16-year-old talent of all time, long before he had finished growing into himself.
“Back then it was just fun,” Haukur Þrastarson says. “Big dreams, big ambitions, and playing at home for your people.”
Few Icelandic handball players have ever carried expectations as heavy, or as early, as Haukur Þrastarson.
At just 16 years old, he was already being spoken of in superlatives rarely used in Icelandic sport. After dominating matches in the Icelandic top division against grown men, former international Sebastian Alexandersson summed it up with a sentence that would follow Þrastarson for years.
“I have never seen a better 16-year-old player.”
It wasn’t hyperbole. Þrastarson wasn’t simply participating at senior level, he was influencing games, controlling tempo, and making decisions with a composure that seemed almost unnatural for his age. Analysts highlighted his defensive reading, calmness in transition and natural command of space.
From the outside, the label could easily look overwhelming. From the inside, Þrastarson remembers something else entirely.
“Obviously at that time you are very young, with big dreams and big ambitions,” he says in an exclusive interview with GoHandball.
“I started really early, playing in the first league at home, competing with adults.”
There was a lot to take in. But there was no fear.
“Back then it was just fun. Playing at home for your people, with big dreams. For me it was all motivation to do more.”
A very balanced person
International recognition followed quickly. In 2018, Þrastarson was named MVP of the U18 European Championship after leading Iceland to a historic silver medal. Later that same year, still just 16, he made his debut for the Icelandic senior national team. In 2019, he became the youngest Icelandic player ever to appear at a World Championship.
A generational career seemed inevitable. Yet behind the headlines, Þrastarson’s defining trait was already visible: balance.
“I’ve always been that type of person who stays grounded. Not going too high, not going too low.”
Praise never became a distraction.
“Even later in my career, in tough moments, I didn’t go too low either. At a high level, that ability is very important.”
That mindset would soon be tested.
At 19, Þrastarson moved abroad for the first time, joining Polish powerhouse Industria Kielce. New country, new culture, new expectations. Just months into his stay, his season, and momentum, came to a sudden stop. An ACL injury.
“It happened very early. First season abroad, big club, everything was new. And then after two or three months, it happened.”
The injury taught him lessons no academy ever could.
“Of course it taught me a lot,” he says.
“Especially staying in a difficult moment for a long period of time.”
Second tough injury
Rehabilitation was only part of the battle.
“You have to take on the mental challenge. Not only when you are injured, but when you come back and have to find your rhythm again.”
Just as he began to feel himself returning, fate struck again. At 21, another major setback, a broken fifth metatarsal bone in his foot.
“I was in a good rhythm when it happened the second time. Coming back from the first injury, and then it happened again.”
The accumulation was brutal.
“When things are not in your control, you have to accept it and work even harder than before. It’s not easy. But it made me stronger – not only on the field, but in life.”
Perhaps the hardest challenge came after the body was healed.
“The most difficult part was trusting everything again,” he admits.
“Doing things you used to do without thinking.”
Fear had to be unlearned.
“Letting go of that fear takes time. For me, that was maybe the biggest challenge.”
Dominating in the Bundesliga
Today, the evidence of that process is visible every weekend in Germany. Now playing for Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the Bundesliga, widely regarded as the strongest league in the world, Þrastarson has not just returned. He has evolved. He currently leads the league in assists, orchestrating attacks with clarity and patience.
“I believe it made me a better player. My focus is always to find the best possible solution in attack.”
He is quick to deflect praise.
“I have to give credit to my teammates. And to the coach, I fit really well into the team.”
The step to Germany has been a defining one.
“After four years in Poland and one in Romania, coming to the Bundesliga was a big challenge. I’m really happy with that step.”
Looking back, Þrastarson no longer sees a lost promise, but a renewed one. And when asked what advice he would give to today’s “wonderkids,” his answer reflects everything he has lived through.
“You can have big talent, many players do. But the mental part is such a big part of it.”
He pauses.
“Everyone will face challenges. Injuries, moving away from home, something will happen,” he says.
“So you have to be mentally ready.”
Not too high. Not too low.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Þrastarson says.
“Always have your mind ready for everything.”