Long-serving Germany captain calls it a day
For many years, Uwe Gensheimer has been a heavyweight in German handball. But now the former captain of the national team is calling it a day. But the 37-year-old already has a plan for the time after his career.
Uwe Gensheimer is calling it a day: the long-time captain of the German national handball team is ending his career at the end of the season and slipping into a new role from then on. At the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, where else, the 37-year-old is to be developed into the new sporting director from next summer.
"It's an emotionally sad day and a difficult moment for me. But at the same time, I'm looking forward to the new task," said the world-class left wing at a press conference in Mannheim. Gensheimer wore the Lions' jersey for almost 20 years, and the new role in the sporting management of the DHB Cup winners is the logical next step.
Gensheimer "embodies the Rhein-Neckar Löwen like hardly anyone else", said Löwen Managing Director Jennifer Kettemann: "Now we want to accompany him on his way to becoming the sporting director that the Rhein-Neckar Löwen need for a sustainably successful future."
Gensheimer is a Löwen veteran - and has also shaped the national team over the years. Nobody has scored more World Cup goals for Germany, and Gensheimer is the third-best scorer in German handball history, scoring 921 goals in 204 international matches. However, he was not granted a title with the eagle on his chest.
No longer in the Germany jersey since 2021
In stark contrast to his Löwen career. In the Mannheim jersey, the right-handed player with the crazy throwing repertoire scored an incredible 2434 goals in 434 games - and Gensheimer is doing everything he can to add a few more goals in the remaining season.
The end of his successful career, particularly at club level, comes as no surprise. Gensheimer, who won the German championship with the Lions in 2016 and the DHB Cup in the spring of this year, was repeatedly set back by minor injuries. He finally had to undergo knee surgery in the summer. Gensheimer had already taken off his national team jersey after the 2021 Olympic Games.
"A great of our sport is ending his active career in the summer. Good luck in your new position as sporting director and we keep our fingers crossed to see you play on the court again, Uwe!" wrote the German Handball Federation (DHB) on X. This season, the leader with the rather quiet tones has not yet played a single game.
Gensheimer moved from his home club TV Friedrichsfeld to the Lions at the age of 16, and they became his sporting home for the next 20 years - with a three-year break at Paris St. Germain. "The Lions are my club. I'm not only at home here in terms of sport, I've also made many friends for life. To now have the opportunity to take my first steps here in a new, responsible position means an incredible amount to me and fills me with pride," said Gensheimer.
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Uwe Gensheimer, the renowned left wing and former captain of the German national handball team, is transitioning into a new role as sporting director at the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, where he has spent almost two decades. Despite his incredible scoring record in international matches, Gensheimer was unable to secure a title with the German national handball team.
Source: www.ntv.de
