Casper U. Mortensen, the German Handball Bundesliga’s leading scorer in the 2022/23 season, will leave HSV Hamburg at the end of the current campaign, returning to Denmark with his family. The club confirmed the departure of the 36-year-old left winger, ending a tenure that began with a return to Hamburg in 2021.
Mortensen previously played for HSV Handball in 2015, but his time with the club was cut short when HSV filed for insolvency in 2016. He subsequently moved to Hannover, then spent several seasons with FC Barcelona, winning championships, national cups, and the EHF Champions League. Despite his success in Spain, Mortensen expressed a desire to return to the Bundesliga and specifically to Hamburg. “Hamburg was always my dream city, the Bundesliga my dream league,” he stated ahead of Sunday’s North Derby against SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
In the 2022/23 season, Mortensen scored 234 goals in 32 games, earning him the title of Bundesliga top scorer for the second time in his career, having previously achieved the honor in the 2017/18 season. He currently has 83 goals this season, maintaining a 74 percent shooting accuracy.
The primary reason for Mortensen’s departure is family-related. His wife, Stine, is a sports journalist for Danish broadcaster TV2, and the family wishes to live closer to their homeland. “Our son Carlo was born during this time abroad, and now is the right time to be closer to our family in Denmark,” Mortensen explained. The decision was not made impulsively, according to reports.
HSV Hamburg’s Sporting Director, Johannes Bitter, who played alongside Mortensen in 2015, described him as “a characterful type who always tried to make everyone around him better.”
Currently, Kay Geenen (22) is the only left winger under contract for the upcoming season. HSV Hamburg is actively searching for a replacement for Mortensen, with the club aiming to finalize a novel signing in the near future.