Dika Mem
NationalityFrench
Birth date31 August 1997 (age 28)[1]
Birth placeParis, France[1]
Height1.94 m
PositionRight back
CurrentclubFC Barcelona
Clubnumber10
Youthclubs 1CSM Eaubonne
Youthyears 12011-2013
Youthclubs 2Saint-Gratien/Sannois
Youthyears 22011-2013
Years 12015–2016
Clubs 1Tremblay-en-France
Years 22016–2027
Clubs 2FC Barcelona
Years 32027–
Clubs 3Füchse Berlin
Nationalyears 12016–
Nationalteam 1France
Nationalcaps 1144
Nationalgoals 1545
Ntupdate26 January 2026

Dika Mem (born 31 August 1997) is a French professional handball player for FC Barcelona and the French national handball team.[1] He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation.

Career

Youth career

Mem was a late starter, learning how to play at the age of 13. He began his career with French club CSM Eaubonne, where he played until he was 15 years old.[2][3] The following two seasons he was at Pôle Espoirs before one season at Saint Gratien, where he made his senior debut in the French third tier at the age of 16.[3][4]

A week before his 17th birthday he won U-18 European Championship, and a year later he won the U17 World Championship.[5]

Senior debut

He made the jump to the handball elite at the age of 17 and in the 2015–16 season he made his debut with Tremblay.[6][7] In his first season in the LNH, Mem scored 93 goals in 25 games.[8]

Fc Barcelona

In 2016 Mem signed with Spanish champions FC Barcelona on a six year deal.[9] This makes him the youngest first team player, FC Barcelona has ever signed. There, he has won the Liga ASOBAL, Copa ASOBAL and Copa del Rey de Balonmano treble for seven consecutive seasons. In his second season he was named as best young player in the world by Handball Planet.[10] Already in 2018 he extended his contract to 2024.[11][12]

In 2019 won the IHF Super Globe, beating German club THW Kiel 34:32 in the final.

In May 2022 he extended his contract until 2027. A month later he won the 2021–22 EHF Champions League beating Polish Vive Kielce on penalties. Mem was in the Champions League all star team for the tournament.

From the 2023/24 season he became the team captain of Barcelona. The same season he was named best right back in the world at the 2024 EHF Excellence Awards.[13]

National team

At the age of 19 he was on the France squad at the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship, that won a gold medal.[14] He won an additional gold medal with the French national team at the 2020 Olympics. In 2024 he completed the set when he won a gold medal at the 2024 European Championship.

At the 2025 World Championship he won bronze medals with France, losing to Croatia in the semifinal and beating Portugal in the third place playoff.[15]

Personal life

Two of his brothers are basketball players in the Ligue Nationale de Basket. He was born to a Cameroonian father and a Réunionese mother.[16]

Honours

Club

Individual awards

References

  1. ^ "EHF profile". Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  2. ^ "A la découverte de... Dika Mem" (in French). lnh.fr. Ligue Nationale de Handball. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  3. ^ "Mondial 2017: Qui est Dika Mem, l'invité de dernière minute des Bleus?" (in French). L’Équipe. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  4. ^ "Dika Mem est la future star du handball français" (in French). Vice.com. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  5. ^ "Russia 2015: France Champions". ihf.info. International Handball Federation. 2015-08-20. Archived 2019-03-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  6. ^ "Dika Mem: «Pas de risque que je prenne la grosse tête!»" (in French). Le Parisien. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  7. ^ "L'espoir préfère Tremblay au PSG" (in French). Le Parisien. 2015-04-13. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  8. ^ "Dika Mem, le jeune espoir français file à Barcelone" (in French). sport365.fr. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  9. ^ "Dika Mem". www.fcbarcelona.com. FC Barcelona
  10. ^ "Dika Mem is the World's Young Handball Player 2017/2018". handball-planet.com. 2018-07-04. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  11. ^ "Barcelona verlängert mit französischem Nationalspieler Mem" [Barcelona extends with French National team player Mem] (in German). handball-world.news. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  12. ^ "El Barça ata a Dika Mem hasta el final de la temporada 2023-24" (in Spanish). Diario AS. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  13. ^ "EHF Excellence Awards 2024: These are the season’s best players". European Handball Federation. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  14. ^ "25th Men's World Championship 2017". Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  15. ^ Orup Kristensen, Oliver (2 February 2025). "Sindssyg afslutning på dramatisk bronzekamp" [Insane finish to bronze match] (in Danish). TV2 Danmark. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  16. ^ Patrelle, Jérémy (23 July 2021). "Dika Mem : "Quand je viens en équipe de France de handball, je viens pour gagner la compétition, pas pour faire de la figuration"". GQ France
  17. ^ "Barça All-star Team favourites; Landin and Hansen top votes". eurohandball.com. 11 June 2021.
  18. ^ "EHF Champions League Men 2021/22 All-star Team awarded". European Handball Federation. 17 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Raul Entrerrios zum achten Mal im All-Star-Team der Liga Asobal" [Raul Estrerrios is for the eighth time in the Liga ASOBAL all star team] (in German). handball-world.news. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  20. ^ "Presentamos el Equipo Ideal de la Liga Sacyr ASOBAL 2021/2022" (in Spanish). www.asobal.es. Liga ASOBAL. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  21. ^ "Die Liga Asobal ehrt seine besten: Zahlreiche Neuzugänge in der "siete ideal"" (in German). handball-world.news. Retrieved 2022-01-31.