Johannes Golla became captain of the German national handball team and SG Flensburg-Handewitt at an early age. During a visit to the NDR sports club, he explained which skills helped him and why he doesn’t want to leave Flensburg.
Just be crazy “on Malle” – that’s what hundreds of athletes from German clubs do every May and June. Whenever the season for various sports in Germany has just ended, there are sometimes bizarre creatures on the beach in Palma de Mallorca: unicorns, pink fairies or superheroes. Most of the time amateur athletes wear the costumes.
Golla with a special appearance in black and yellow
But today’s captain of the German national handball team also had a special appearance there – in a different “skin”. In the summer of 2016, Golla buzzed across the beach as Maya the Bee, wearing a black and yellow poncho, matching colored glasses, a black hood and yellow antennae.
“It was a bit of a tradition for us back then,” recalled Michael Müller, his former teammate at MT Melsungen. “And then it happened that the youngest of us, in this case Johannes, had to put on a costume. But I think that everything went well. I think Johannes did quite well with us.”
“I try to help people get back up when they’re a little down.”
— Johannes Golla
Golla was 18 years old at the time, and even then it became apparent that this young man had special abilities. There was someone who wanted to learn, who wanted to progress on his path, who was extremely focused on wanting to become a professional, but who also had an influence on the team back then. Be it because he was able to laugh at himself or because of the way he got involved.
“As a youth player, he asked our coach if he could travel with us to the away game in Mannheim. That speaks for him. He sat at the front of the bus, kept his mouth shut and asked our supervisor Ronny if he could do anything he could help,” said Müller. “Johannes was direct. He absorbed everything. And that’s also the reason why he took the path he did now.”
Golla youngest captain of the National team
Which roughly looked like this: Moved to SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the summer of 2018 at the age of 18, becoming German champions in his first season there. International debut in March 2019, participation in the European Championship in 2020, captain of the national team since the beginning of November 2021 and with the SG since summer 2022, in the all-star team of the European Championship in 2022 and handball player of the year 2022.
SG demanded in the European League
It is quite possible that there will be further successes for the 26-year-old this season. In the DHB Cup, Golla and the SG will meet his former club MT Melsungen again in the semi-finals on April 13th. In the European League, Flensburg could take a big step towards direct qualification for the quarter-finals on Tuesday (6.45 p.m.) in their own arena with a win against Serbian club Vojvodina Novi Sad.
Golla: “Hope until the last day of the match”
When it comes to the championship, the chances are very slim – especially after the unfortunate 31:31 against league leaders Füchse Berlin. “You have to look realistically at the table and say that there must be hell to pay in the Bundesliga. It’s not just one team that has to really stumble, but two,” said the SG circle runner in reference to the leading duo. Berlin is six points ahead of third-placed Schleswig-Holstein and SC Magdeburg is five points.
“For me, there will be hope until the last matchday that perhaps one of the two teams ahead of us will leave points so that we can still qualify for the Champions League. We will do everything we can to make the impossible possible,” says the native of Rüdesheim.
Golla sees it as an honor that he became captain of the national team and a top Bundesliga team at such a young age. He sees the main reason for this as his “feeling for people, for situations – knowing what is needed at the right moment. And I think I can do that quite well or can do it better and better thanks to the experience I have now. I try to “To help people get back up when they’re a little down.”
“He absolutely deserves to be where he is now.”
— Former teammate Michael Müller about Golla
Müller confirms this: “He is an absolute leader in all matters. He is there for everyone, he takes care of everything – that is what sets him apart as a captain. I wish him the success he has because I know what he has to do for it invested and what kind of character he is.”
But, family man Golla admits, there are situations in life that challenge him enormously. “With two small children you can reach your limits,” he admitted with a smile. “These are problems that all parents are familiar with. That you are challenged from morning to night, usually at night too. It’s a stressful time, but of course I don’t want to miss it. I think it’s very nice that it’s like that, how it is.”
Golla: No leaving Flensburg before the end of the contract
And this status quo also means that he says he will not give any thought to leaving his adopted home with his wife Elena and their two children in the foreseeable future. “There is no option for me to leave before my contract ends in the summer of 2026. My daughter has started daycare and loves it. My wife works here and has made a very good connection. We feel very comfortable here and have arrived very well in the north,” said Golla, who was challenged by former teammate Müller to a special challenge.
“If I organize the Maya the Bee costume – would you stroll along the Flensburg harbor with me again in the costume?” asked Müller in the NDR sports club. Golla replied with a laugh: “I would do it again with ‘Michi’ – yes, definitely.” Then the people would probably even cheer for him – unlike back then in Mallorca.
This topic in the program:
Sports club | 02/25/2024 | 10:50 p.m
