LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s young handball team impressed in the recent IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, securing a top-12 finish in a field of 32 in only their second participation in the tournament.

And the star of the show for the Kingdom’s charges in Croatia was right wingman Hussein Furaij.

In the group stages, the Saudis earned a hard-fought draw with Argentina, beat the US and pushed Germany all the way in a close defeat.

Progressing through to the main round, Saudi Arabia beat rivals Iran but succumbed to Faroe Islands to finish third in their group.

There has been a focus placed on handball in Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the past four IHF Men’s Super Globe, with the sport becoming increasingly popular. Big names have been attracted in the league, but a system to develop and promote young players is beginning to take shape.

“Most of the people in my home town are in love with handball, so I decided to start playing it myself, and it was an excellent decision,” said superstar winger Furaij. “I started at Noor Club in Qatif when I was only nine years old, and my Serbian coach, Bosko Jolovic, was the one who inspired me and took care of me and taught me a lot,” he told the International Handball Federation.

Furaij was one of the players of the tournament in the YWC and, at 18-years-old, became the second youngest and only the seventh teenager to feature in the senior men’s world championship competition in Poland and Sweden earlier in the year.

“(That) was an extraordinary achievement for me,” he said. “It is a moment I will never forget, it is something that will be embedded in me all my life. It was a true honor and I was very happy, something truly motivational, which I will always be proud of,” he said.

Furaij has not ruled out making it to the big leagues in France or Germany.

“I just want to focus on myself, to become a better player, why not to feature in Germany or France in the future? This might be an excellent step for me,” he said. “Of course, I am also thinking about the national team and winning the Asian Championship is a big objective of mine, too.”