Handball hero Ebner – How a bus motivates the Italians against Germany

Domenico Ebner is the shining face of the Italian handball fairytale. The story of an unexpected career that culminates in the World Cup duel with Germany.

Domenico Ebner is the shining face of the Italian handball fairytale. From IT training in Baden-WürttembergWürttemberg Province to the World Cup duel against Germany – the 30-year-old’s story is one of an unexpected career that reaches its climax on Thursday.

Domenico Ebner brought a photo with him. To illustrate how big the difference is between handball Germany and handball Italy, the 30-year-old shows two buses on his cell phone. One is the large, black German team bus, almost 13 meters long. Behind the Azzurri’s white nine-seater, almost puny. The picture was taken before the World Cup in Hamburg, the Italians were watching the German team. “It went around in our WhatsApp group,” says Ebner, “according to the motto: This is the DHB, this is Italy – we are at that level.”

Two handball worlds

Two handball worlds collide on Thursday (6 p.m., live on ZDF and in the full audio report on sportschau.de), these 60 minutes will probably decide which of the two teams advances to the quarter-finals. The Italians, who take part in the World Cup with such ease and ease, as if they had arrived on a party bus, or the Germans, who tend to carry baggage with them.

“I think we are in the underdog role,” says Ebner in the Sportschau podcast “Handball auf die 1”. “Maybe you can win one out of 10 games against a top team like that.” For it to be this one day, Italy needs its parades – and its mentality.

“Ebo” likes to high-five with half of the bench after balls are saved, cheers and laughs, his whole face beams after the victories – this Handball World Cup is the fun of his life. “This feeling of playing at the highest level – it’s like a childhood dream that stays in your memory.”

“Late starter” Domenico Ebner

Ebner was born in Freiburg im Breisgau and played for TSV March, SG Waldkirch/Denzlingen and TuS Schutterwald. Baden-Württemberg province, just like SG Köntreiben/Teningen, but at least in the A-youth Bundesliga and 3rd men’s league. “When I was 18 or 19, I did an apprenticeship, worked in IT at the district office and then got a job at Bietigheim,” remembers Ebner.

2. Bundesliga, at least part-time, the 1.92 meter man works the other 50 percent in office. “I’m a late starter when it comes to my career,” says Ebner. Promotion with SG BBM Bietigheim, Bundesliga debut at 24, move to TSV Hannover-Burgdorf and in 2023 to SC DHfK Leipzig, World Cup participant with Italy.

“I used to have the goal of playing in the Bundesliga, and the 2007 World Cup was the non-plus-ultra event for my generation,” says Ebner, while world champion Johannes Bitter sits next to him for the podcast.

National player via Facebook request

“These are the stories that we like to tell and that are important for handball,” says the ex-HSV Hamburg goalkeeper. “That you can take this path because you have a certain relaxedness, not this deep goal: ‘I have to take the next step now, to the U17, U19, then to the men’s team, and then I have to play for Germany’ – but: You have found your way in life and then handball comes along again.”

Ebner’s path, including to the national team, was unexpected and unexpected. It started eight years ago with a Facebook request. Jürgen Prantner, still assistant coach of the handball developing country, stumbled across Ebner’s Italian first name in a magazine – and quickly wrote to the talented goalkeeper.

Ebner wants to sing both national anthems

The promise, says the son of an Italian woman, was the right decision. “At DHB it might have been a game or a tournament, but that way I was able to pass on the experience to the young people in Italy.” For years he has fought for the association to become more professional – by the way, the Azzurri do not come to the World Cup games in nine-seaters, but in the team bus borrowed from the Danish second division team Lemvig-Thyborøn Håndbold.

Now Ebner, who says he continues to have problems with Italian grammar, is part of Italy’s most successful men’s national team. Three wins and the main round – that has never happened in 78 years of World Cup history. “We don’t want to wake up yet, we want to keep dreaming.” The quarterfinals would be “the icing on the cake,” says Ebner, who wants to sing both national anthems on Thursday. “The German one is a bit quieter than the Italian one.” And then he enjoys the greatest 60 minutes of his career so far.