AUDIO: Final Four: Golla meets his future club Melsungen with Flensburg (1 min)
European League
As of: May 29, 2026 1:31 p.m
Win another farewell title with Flensburg or maybe play the Champions League with future club Melsungen next year? National handball team captain Johannes Golla is in a quandary before the Final Four of the European League.
In the summer, Johannes Golla became a little wistful for the first time. His eighth and final season at SG Flensburg-Handewitt was getting closer and closer, and the German international was now increasingly seeing one of his “last times” – whether in preparation, at the start of the Bundesliga or in the home derby against THW Kiel.
This weekend, the 28-year-old will play for a title with Flensburg one last time at the Final Four of the European League in Hamburg. And in the semi-finals on Saturday (3:30 p.m., in the live center) it will be against MT Melsungen – his future club.
Golla: “Encounter always special for me”
“This encounter has always been special for me in recent years,” says Golla. “I still know a lot of people there that I’m in contact with. But on the field it’s all about me getting the most out of Flensburg.”
Return to Melsungen has been fixed since 2024
It was mid-December 2024 when the Flensburg fan community was shocked twice. First she had to digest the news that her club was putting then coach Nicolej Krickau on leave. Just a few days later it was announced that captain Golla signed a five-year contract in Melsungen, which would be valid from July 1, 2026. A decision also in favor of the family, because with two small children there was no support from the grandparents, who lived 750 kilometers away.
“If I could decide again today, I don’t know what the decision would be.”
Johannes Golla on his move to Melsungen
At the beginning of the year it was suddenly said in various media that Melsungen had to tighten its belt, that it could no longer afford Golla’s salary and that Flensburg was trying to keep the top performer. Clubs and players denied it, but there were discussions behind the scenes.
“Of course we stand by the decision we made,” says the national player. “But if I could decide again today, then I don’t know what the decision would be. Our children have gotten older and we have arrived in the city even better than we were back then.”
Bundesliga debut with Melsungen
The 28-year-old grew up in the Rheingau. In Erbach, a district of Eltville, there are plaques dedicated to him. His first clubs were called JSG Eltville, TuS Dotzheim and SG Wallau. He then moved to Hesse and played with HSG VfR/Eintracht Wiesbaden in the youth Bundesliga. MT Melsungen became aware of the talent, where he played his first Bundesliga games.
Breakthrough in Flensburg, Olympic silver with Germany
Golla only made his breakthrough in 2018 when he moved to Flensburg. With the SG he not only became German champion straight away, but also impressed with a high level of consistency in attack and defense. He quickly became a fixture in the club – but also in the German national team, where he took over the captaincy in autumn 2021. Silver at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and at the European Championships this year, among other things, adorn his CV.
“I’ve been looking forward to Hamburg for weeks”
With Flensburg, Golla went through a long titleless phase until the Northern Lights won the European League in 2024 and 2025. “It means a lot to the club and fans that we are back in Hamburg,” emphasizes the SG captain. “I have such good memories of the last two years that I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks.”
Now it’s against MT Melsungen of all places. There was a narrow win against his future club in last year’s semi-finals and two clear Bundesliga successes this season. “We’re going to Hamburg with a good feeling, but we shouldn’t believe that success will come automatically,” he emphasized. But during the preparation he “felt a great intensity from each of our players”.
Spicy duel in the semi-finals
Spicy: The model athlete is fighting for a place in the Champions League with the SG, but would only play in the European premier class if Melsungen were to grab the starting place by winning the title in Hamburg. Nevertheless: “This time the Champions League qualification is hovering above everything,” he assures – and that of his current employer Flensburg.
Golla’s priority was already clear last summer: “Before the season, my dream was to say goodbye to Flensburg with a title. This is the last chance.”
