Dika Mem

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Dika Mem

| image = Dika Mem Championship 2018.jpg

| caption = Mem with FC Barcelona in 2018

| nationality = French

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|8|31|df=y}}

| birth_place = Paris, France

| height = 1.94 m

| position = Right back

| currentclub = FC Barcelona

| clubnumber = 10

| youthclubs1 = CSM Eaubonne

| youthyears1 = 2011-2013

| youthclubs2 = Saint-Gratien/Sannois

| youthyears2 = 2011-2013

| years1 = 2015–2016

| clubs1 = Tremblay-en-France

| years2 = 2016–

| clubs2 = FC Barcelona

| nationalyears1 = 2016–

| nationalteam1 = France

| nationalcaps1 = 130

| nationalgoals1 = 467

| ntupdate = 17 January 2025

| medaltemplates =

}}

Dika Mem (born 31 August 1997) is a French professional handball player for FC Barcelona and the French national handball team.{{Cite web |url=http://www.eurohandball.com/player/557563 |title=EHF profile |access-date=6 February 2018 |archive-date=20 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720022402/http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/cl/men/2017-18/player/557563/Dika+Mem |url-status=dead }} He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation.

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.lnh.fr/lnh/news/2015-10-05/a-decouverte-de-dika-mem |title=A la découverte de... Dika Mem |website=lnh.fr |publisher=Ligue Nationale de Handball |language=fr |accessdate=2022-01-31}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Handball/Actualites/Mondial-2017-qui-est-dika-mem-l-invite-de-derniere-minute-des-bleus/769932 |title=Mondial 2017: Qui est Dika Mem, l'invité de dernière minute des Bleus? |publisher=L’Équipe |language=fr |accessdate=2022-01-31}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/fr/article/8qzp5g/dika-mem-est-la-future-star-du-handball-franais |title=Dika Mem est la future star du handball français |publisher=Vice.com |language=fr |accessdate=2022-01-31}}

A week before his 17th birthday he won U-18 European Championship, and a year he won the U17 World Championship.{{cite web |url=http://www.ihf.info/en-us/ihfcompetitions/worldchampionships/men’syouthworldchampionships/mensyouthworldchampionship,rus2015/news/newsdetails.aspx?ID=2832 |title=Russia 2015: France Champions |publisher=International Handball Federation|website=ihf.info |date=2015-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302152445/http://www.ihf.info/en-us/ihfcompetitions/worldchampionships/men%E2%80%99syouthworldchampionships/mensyouthworldchampionship,rus2015/news/newsdetails.aspx?ID=2832 |archive-date=2019-03-02 |accessdate=2022-01-31}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/sports/ile-de-france/video-dika-mem-pas-de-risque-que-je-prenne-la-grosse-tete-28-05-2015-4810347.php |title=Dika Mem: «Pas de risque que je prenne la grosse tête!» |publisher=Le Parisien |date=2015-05-28 |language=fr |accessdate=2022-01-31}}{{cite web |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/archives/l-espoir-prefere-tremblay-au-psg-14-04-2015-4690127.php |title=L'espoir préfère Tremblay au PSG |publisher=Le Parisien |date=2015-04-13 |language=fr |accessdate=2022-01-31}} In his first season in the LNH, Mem scored 93 goals in 25 games.{{cite web |url=https://www.sport365.fr/dika-mem-jeune-espoir-francais-file-a-barcelone-2609709.html |title=Dika Mem, le jeune espoir français file à Barcelone |publisher=sport365.fr |date=2016-07-01 |language=fr |accessdate=2022-01-31}}

In 2016 Mem signed with Spanish champions FC Barcelona on a six year deal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/handball/first-team/players/695645/dika-mem|title=Dika Mem|publisher=FC Barcelona|website=www.fcbarcelona.com}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.handball-planet.com/dika-mem-is-the-worlds-young-handball-player-2017-2018/ |title=Dika Mem is the World's Young Handball Player 2017/2018 |publisher=handball-planet.com |date=2018-07-04 |accessdate=2022-01-31}}

Already in 2018 he extended his contract to 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-10-106334.html |title=Barcelona verlängert mit französischem Nationalspieler Mem |publisher=handball-world.news |accessdate=2022-01-31|language=de|trans-title=Barcelona extends with French National team player Mem}}{{cite web |url=https://as.com/masdeporte/2018/07/25/balonmano/1532538642_059748.html |title=El Barça ata a Dika Mem hasta el final de la temporada 2023-24 |publisher=Diario AS |date=2018-07-25 |language=es |accessdate=2022-01-31}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/ehf-excellence-awards-2024-these-are-the-season-s-best-players/|title=EHF Excellence Awards 2024: These are the season’s best players|date=27 June 2024|accessdate=27 January 2025|work=European Handball Federation}}

=National team=

File:Dika Mem Jersey National Team.jpg

At the age of 19 he was on the France squad at the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship, that won a gold medal.{{cite web |url=http://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/HB_PROD/HBWC17M/PDF_ROSTER_FRA.PDF |title=25th Men's World Championship 2017 |accessdate=24 January 2017 |archive-date=23 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223043606/http://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/HB_PROD/HBWC17M/PDF_ROSTER_FRA.PDF |url-status=dead }} 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 Germany

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gqmagazine.fr/lifestyle/article/dika-mem-quand-je-viens-en-equipe-de-france-de-handball-je-viens-pour-gagner-la-competition-pas-pour-faire-de-la-figuration|title=Dika Mem : "Quand je viens en équipe de France de handball, je viens pour gagner la compétition, pas pour faire de la figuration"|first=Jérémy|last=Patrelle|date=23 July 2021|website=GQ France}}

Honours

=Club=

EHF Champions League
Winner: 2021, 2022, 2024
Second place: 2020
Super Globe
Winner: 2017, 2018, 2019
Second place: 2021, 2022
''Third place: 2023
Liga ASOBAL 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Copa ASOBAL 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Spanish Super Cup (Supercopa de España de Balonmano) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Catalan Super Cup 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Copa del Rey 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Iberian Super Cup 2022 and 2023

=Individual awards=

All-Star Right Back of EHF Champions League: 2021,{{cite web|url=https://ehfcl.eurohandball.com/men/2020-21/news/en/barca-all-star-team-favourites-landin-and-hansen-top-votes/|title=Barça All-star Team favourites; Landin and Hansen top votes|publisher=eurohandball.com|date=11 June 2021}} 2022{{cite web|url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/ehf-champions-league-men-2021-22-all-star-team-awarded/|title=EHF Champions League Men 2021/22 All-star Team awarded|date=17 June 2022|work=European Handball Federation}}
Best right back at the 2023/24 EHF Excellence Awards
Best young player in the world 2017/2018
Liga ASOBAL all star team (right back): 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024{{cite web |url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-10-124942.html |title=Raul Entrerrios zum achten Mal im All-Star-Team der Liga Asobal |publisher=handball-world.news |accessdate=2022-01-31|language=DE|trans-title=Raul Estrerrios is for the eighth time in the Liga ASOBAL all star team}}{{cite web |url=https://asobal.es/noticias/presentamos-el-equipo-ideal-de-la-liga-sacyr-asobal-2021-2022/7306/ |publisher=Liga ASOBAL|website=www.asobal.es |title=Presentamos el Equipo Ideal de la Liga Sacyr ASOBAL 2021/2022 |language=es |accessdate=2022-06-30 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-10-116193.html |title=Die Liga Asobal ehrt seine besten: Zahlreiche Neuzugänge in der "siete ideal" |publisher=handball-world.news |accessdate=2022-01-31|language=de}}