Björnsen: “This weekend is about the handball; the emotions will come later”

Björnsen adds that he did not have any specific end-of-career dream. Nevertheless, finishing at LANXESS arena in front of more than 20,000 spectators is going to be one hell of a party. 

“This is the kind of thing that you have a look at when you are a kid, and you would like to play it. I know how lucky I am to be able to play the EHF FINAL4."

While he was not yet playing for Aalborg in 2021, when the club appeared in Cologne for the first time, he was on the court in 2024 — the last time Aalborg played the EHF FINAL4.

Björnsen had a late love story with the EHF Champions League. While he played one season of the competition with Norwegian side Fyllingen in 2009/10, it was not until 2021 that he saw the top-tier court again. After five seasons with Wetzlar in Germany, Björnsen made the move to Aalborg — one of the most ambitious projects in Europe. 

“I think I enjoy playing it more now because I started playing it late. The Champions League is still the competition with all the best clubs and the best players,” he says. “Being in Cologne and being in the position to win the title is a privilege and I am happy I made the move to Aalborg in order to live it.”

Two seasons ago, Aalborg and Björnsen came close to winning the trophy, only losing the final against Barça by one. That day, Mikkel Hansen bid farewell to club handball and now, two years later, it is Björnsen’s turn. 

“But I think we have a more complete squad than then. We also have gained a lot of experience from that moment that hopefully we can use this weekend.”

Eight months after the 2024 final, with a record of 13 losses in 13 encounters against Barça, Aalborg finally won against the Spanish side, beating them 36:35 in the 2024/25 group phase. Could this be seen as a turning point, where Aalborg finally became conscious that they could beat the Blaugrañas? 

“On one hand, I guess that it opened some doors, especially as that was the last time we played against them. But in the meantime, a semi-final at the EHF FINAL4 is completely different to a group phase game. I do not think you can compare the two.”

Whether Aalborg or Barça are the favourites for Saturday's semi-final remains open to debate, as, in Cologne, history has proved that all teams have chances to win. 

“This is a very open tournament, as always. I do think we have our chances, but so do all the teams,” concedes the former Norwegian international, who will surely experience some additional emotions no matter Aalborg’s result at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026.

“I am sure that all the memories and all the emotions will come to my head more and more as the hours pass by. But right now, I really want to focus just on handball and not let my thoughts be polluted by everything else.”

Photos © Henrik Hansen; kolektiff images/Uros Hocevar/Sasa Pahic Szabo