Even though Denmark are celebrating an impressive farewell in the placement matches of EHF EURO 2010 after achieving victory over Spain for fifth place, that joy was overshadowed by the news that goalkeeper, Kasper Hvidt, is to retire from the national team.

"I´ve been playing for the national team for 14 years and I´ve had many great experiences,” he said.

”My wife and I have a daughter and now we have failed to finish within the best four teams at the EURO, this means we´ll have to qualify for the next World Championship," Hvidt explained.

"To get to the Swedish World Championship, you need lots of energy and motivation, and at the moment, I feel the I lack of both."

His successor may well be Niklas Landin. "He´s a great keeper already and he´ll certainly improve even more before 2011," said Hvidt.

Team mate, Lars Jørgensen, was disappointed to hear the news. ”It´s a pity that Kasper is retiring, he´s a great person both on and off the court. We´ll miss him greatly in the national team. His decision not only affects our team, but also Danish handball as a whole.”

Besides Hvidt, several other players are thinking of retiring from the national team.

Among them, Jørgensen will decide during the coming weeks: "The federation´s plans for the 2012 Olympic Games in London sound very impressive, and we´ve talked through the possibilities, but I´ve got to think about how I see myself in two years from now. Luckily I have a few weeks to think about it and make a decision."

After the defeat against Croatia on Thursday, Jørgensen showed the desire to win more gold medals, but he is a little unsure at the moment: "I´m not sure how it will continue for us. The EURO is over but it may mean the beginning of something new. We have to build up again and I may be a part of a new squad. Right now, I´ve many different feelings in my head, so we´ll see," explained the defensive specialist."