After the clearly won opening game on Thursday, the expectations have not become smaller: Tonight (ZDF, 18.15 clock) captain Uwe Gensheimer - "Gense", as they call him - his team against Brazil again on the field. They all know, with each victory they play a little deeper into the hearts of the Germans.
Dynamic, fast, aggressive - all this is handball. However, there is no national passion for this sport yet. Critics say she lacks guys. These are all nice, but in the end boring guys.
Gensheimer is annoyed by the debate. Shall I tattoo my tattoos and dye my hair red so people say I'm a guy? "Replies the left winger in the current SPIEGEL.
The media would not deal with people intensively enough, Gensheimer says, there are enough "super-interesting types" in the national team, but they did not make quick headlines because they "do not always have a big mouth and push the next spell". For him, someone is a guy "who has a strong character who opens his mouth when there is something to say".
In talk shows you would not see them that often just because there's no time for that. Some Bundesliga players have up to 80 appearances per season. In addition there are the arrival and departure to away games, in between many hours of training, theory, video analysis.
For many, there would be a degree. "As a handball player, you know you did not take care of the sport."
Before the World Cup, a debate had begun on the question of whether German handball lacked stars and glamor. Former national coach Heiner Brand had said that the national team lacked leadership: "The players have gained a lot of experience in the Bundesliga, some in positions of responsibility, but a real leader has not yet emerged, and you can not force anyone to do that."
Goalkeeper Silvio Heinevetter had partially confirmed this. Handball players are "down-to-earth types, that's because we earn far less".
Bob Hanning, Vice President of the German Handball Federation, said that for a successful World Cup it needs real types, but also in German handball: "We have to play credible, extroverted handball I'm convinced that we have many types in the team Extrovert types such as Andreas Wolff or Silvio Heinevetter, but there are also introverts such as Steffen Weinhold, Hendrik Pekeler and Finn Lemke, who enjoy a high degree of acceptance internally. "