At the Handball World Cup, playmaker Juri Knorr is once again the focus. Not an easy situation for him, as a good friend of the DHB star knows.
Nils Kögler reports from Denmark
Late on Wednesday evening, handball Germany briefly took its breath away: When playmaker Juri Knorr slipped in the middle of the second half during the German handball team’s World Cup opener against Poland (35:28), twisted his knee and then had to leave the field, the worst was to be feared . The concern for Knorr almost overshadowed the opening victory of the DHB selection.
The DHB was able to give the all-clear on Thursday – it was probably not a serious injury and Knorr would still be available (read more about this here) – but the excitement surrounding a possible loss of Knorr was symbolic of a larger phenomenon : Every step of the German playmaker is watched particularly closely. He’s in the spotlight. He is the bearer of hope and a lot is expected of him.
Knorr has often freely admitted that this is not always easy for him. He describes himself as thoughtful and sensitive. How much the role of top performer puts a strain on him was also clearly noticeable last year at the European Championships in his own country, when he judged himself harshly after defeats.
Someone who also knows Knorr well is Andy Schmid. The Swiss handball legend is considered Knorr’s mentor. They played together for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen for two years. After retiring last year, Schmid is now the Swiss national coach. He and his team will face the DHB selection in the second preliminary round game on Friday. The day before the game he commented in detail on Knorr’s situation.
“Sometimes I recognize myself in Juri,” said Schmid. He also thought a lot during his career. “Juri is very sensitive and the press may not be doing him any favors if they always put him in the spotlight and judge everything hop or flop,” said the 41-year-old.
This is a difficult situation for Knorr, after all, he is still only 24 years old. “He’s already come a long way and he has an extreme burden to carry. That’s why I don’t think it’s good for him to always be so blatantly in the spotlight,” said Schmid. “He’s not looking for it and that’s why I sometimes don’t understand why people always push him into it like that.”
After the current season, Knorr is moving abroad. From the Rhein-Neckar Löwen he goes to the Danish top club Aalborg. Schmid definitely sees a connection with the attention that Knorr is receiving in Germany: “It’s no coincidence that he’s looking for a way abroad. He’s already thought about it carefully and he probably wants to get out there a bit,” explained Smith.
“Superstar or flop. In Germany there is actually nothing in between,” is how he described the public in this country. He himself can understand that, “but I think Juri doesn’t like this situation, if I’m honest. That’s how I know him and that’s how I assess him.”
At the same time, Schmid also took his friend to task: “He is the middle backcourt of the largest handball association and therefore he has to accept this role.” It’s a double-edged sword, “but of course I’m on Juri’s side,” said Schmid.