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Hilmar Leon Jakobsen (number 22) made his debut for the Faroe Islands in a friendly against Lithuania
When Hilmar Leon Jakobsen started 2020 as a player for the Faroe Islands national handball team, he couldn’t have imagined that he would end it representing his country in football.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the lives of billions of people around the world. In Jakobsen’s case, it sparked a career change.
“I always wanted to be a footballer, but the doctors advised me to stop playing at 17 because I had to undergo surgery on my hip,” says Jakobsen, now 23.
“They said that playing handball would be better for my health. That was extremely disappointing at the time.”
Jakobsen was considered one of the best footballers in his age group as a youngster, even making his First Division debut for HB Torshavn at age 16 in 2013.
He used to play in midfield and Steven Gerrard was one of his favorite footballers, which was a natural choice for a Liverpool fan. “I aspired to have a professional career abroad as a footballer, but I had to abandon that dream and move on to handball,” recalls Jakobsen.
He also turned out to be very good at the other sport. “I joined H71, which is the best club in the Faroe Islands, represented the U-20 national team and then was called up for the senior team,” says Jakobsen.
Left-handed on the soccer field, he is right-handed on the handball field. “I started playing on the left wing and then I became a left back,” he says.
Whatever the position, the results were magnificent: “I won three championship titles and two national cups with H71. I was completely focused on handball and did not dare to think about football again.”
Jakobsen says his handball teammates understand his decision
In January, Jakobsen participated in the World Cup qualifying rounds, but then the pandemic struck and handball activities were stopped.
“Under those circumstances, I decided to play a little football with the HB affiliate, to stay in shape. I scored two goals on my debut and suddenly the coach contacted me,” recalls Jakobsen.
Jens Berthel Askou, the former Norwich City defender who is now in charge of HB, wanted Jakobsen to join the senior team. “Initially, I refused because it seemed like a bad idea, but then I thought about it for a while and changed my mind,” says Jakobsen.
That was the decision that completely changed his life.
The Faroe Islands Premier League was well advanced at the time, but Jakobsen was immediately included in the starting lineup as a center forward. “I never played in that position when I was young, but the coach thought it should be used in the penalty area,” he says.
Askou was right. Jakobsen scored in three straight games in July and was even more prolific in the fall, finding the net in five straight games. He contributed 12 goals and five assists in just 17 games, helping the team win the title comfortably.
In 2019 he won the double in handball with H71. In 2020, he was also a soccer champion.
Last Saturday, the team celebrated the win after a 1-1 draw at KI, when Jakobsen received some impressive news.
When Hilmar Leon Jakobsen played handball for the Faroe Islands in the World Cup qualifiers
“The coach came into the locker room, asked everyone to be quiet and announced that I had been called up for the national team. It was quite surprising. My teammates were jubilant and they poured a bottle of champagne on my head,” says Jakobsen. .
In January, he faced Lithuania as a handball player. On Wednesday, he played the same nation, but in a different sport. Coach Hakan Ericsson used Jakobsen for the full 90 minutes, indicating he could be the Faroe Islands’ new target.
“This is definitely the best year of my life,” he says. “Suddenly I’m a footballer again, winning titles and representing my country in my favorite sport. Liverpool also won the title in England, which makes it even better. I wasn’t born when they did it in 1990.
“From now on, I am completely dedicated to football. My handball teammates may have been a little sad to see me go, but they fully support and understand me.
“As for my new teammates at HB, I have met some of the youth teams. They can’t stop laughing when they think about what happened to me this year.
“Now the goal is to play abroad. That’s what I wanted as a kid and I can think about it again. Maybe I could move to Denmark, Sweden or Norway, and go to an even bigger league from there.
“Who knows? Life is full of surprises.”
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Source: bbc.com
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