Friday, May 28, 2021
Handball world champion has to go
Goalkeeping legend makes a miraculous return
Henning Fritz has been off the record for many years: The handball world champion from 2007 actually ended his great career in 2012. But retirement is history for a few weeks: Fritz returns one more time – and plays directly for the championship.
Former world handball player Henning Fritz returns to goal nine years after the end of his career and helps SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the championship race. The 46-year-old former national goalkeeper is said to be an alternative in goal for the remaining five weeks until the end of the season after the injury to regular goalkeeper Benjamin Buric. Number one between the posts is currently Torbjoern Bergerud. “I would not have thought it possible that I would return to the handball goal after all,” said Fritz, who is currently commenting on Bundesliga games as a Sky expert.
Fritz is already entitled to play in the game at TBV Lemgo Lippe on Sunday. The world champion was still in action as a TV expert at the Flensburg game on Wednesday at the home game of Flensburg against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen (26:26). During his time as a professional, Fritz was active for SC Magdeburg, THW Kiel and the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. In 235 games he was in the goal of the German national team. His greatest successes include winning the Olympic silver medal in 2004, winning the European Championship in the same year and winning the 2007 World Cup.
“I keep fit several times a week with Crossfit and jogging and I feel ready to support the SG during this phase of the season,” said the Magdeburg native. He is happy “to be part of it again and to make my contribution to successful games”. Flensburg’s head coach Maik Machulla praises the “unbelievable experience” of his former teammate from times together at SC Magdeburg. Fritz will give Torbjoern “very good support in certain areas and keep his back free,” he said.
The next big return
It is the second surprising return of a goalkeeping hero of the past few months: In October Mattias Andersson, former world-class goalkeeper and now goalkeeping coach of the national team, was briefly reactivated. Andersson was 42 years old when he had to go back on the record for THW Kiel. Andersson was European handball champion in 2000, won the Champions League twice and won Olympic silver in London in 2012. In 2001 he played his first game for THW Kiel, and in 2018 Andersson ended his long career there. But an injury to world-class successor Niklas Landin and brief bad luck with his representative Dario Quenstedt led Andersson back into goal via the substitute bench. And what do world-class keepers (retired) do when they have to achieve great things? Exactly.
“Mattias Andersson’s substitution was about giving Dario a break. Mattias then immediately demonstrated his experience and class – you just don’t lose that,” THW Kiel coach Filip Jicha confirmed the thesis “Once world class, always world class “: It was the 25th minute when the old Swede had to play. Until then, Quenstedt had little to grasp, the THW Kiel, one of the best teams in the world, was behind Hanover by 12:15.
A jolt was needed. Andersson conceded two goals, then succeeded what Jicha had hoped for: When he broke through the circle, Andersson jumped against Filip Kuzmanovski from Hanover, spread out wide – and grabbed the free ball. An initial spark that the veteran provided with his parade. The clenched fists as a signal. After another parade, Andersson’s working day was over, he had done his job: held two out of four balls – and above all provided the important impetus to turn. After the break, Quenstedt returned to goal, improved significantly – and in the end THW Kiel won 34:31.
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