Juri Knorr – a story of goals, assists, and a family history

At the 2023 IHF World Championship in January, the 23-year-old Knorr was voted into the All-star Team as the best young player and was by far the best German in terms of goals and assists. A few weeks later, the playmaker led Rhein-Neckar Löwen to their cup victory as MVP of the final tournament, in September he played his first international matches on club level, currently being best scorer of Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the EHF European League Men.

Knorr has handball in his genes, as his father was professional at Hamburg, Kiel and Flensburg and German national team player. And he made EHF EURO history, becoming the so far only German top scorer of an EHF EURO final tournament, in 1996 with 41 goals.

“I know my father’s story and his trophy back then. But it’s not my goal to become the top scorer. I just want to be an important part of the team and help them to be successful at some point”, says Knorr.

He was not only a top handball player in his youth, but a great talent in football, too.

“It was an emotional decision. As a teenager, I played both until I was 15 or 16, but then I just felt more comfortable in handball, because I had more freedom on the court and therefore more fun. I also liked the sense of community in handball more,” Knorr explains his decision.

After playing – and winning – his first major tournament for the German youth team, the EYOF in Györ in 2017, he was discovered by then Barça coach Xavi Pascual and made it to the famous youth academy in Barcelona for two years.

“This time in Barcelona was hugely important for my development. Leaving home at the age of 18 and moving into a players’ flat is a big change in your life, but it has helped me develop and shaped me. It was not easy living in a foreign country, you're on your own and I often felt homesick. But this time has allowed me to mature and I have learnt a lot in terms of handball,” Knorr looks back.

In November 2020, facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in an EHF EURO 2022 Qualifier, he became the first German men’s national team player born in the 2000s. His debut came under Alfred Gislason, who also had his debut as Germany’s head coach in that match. Some months later, Julian Köster – born in May 2000 – followed on Knorr. In 2021, Knorr played his first major tournament at the World Championship in Egypt and was part of the German squad at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Finally, his star rose at the 2023 World Championship, when he was best German scorer with 53 goals, making him the third-best scorer overall. And he was the No. 1 in terms of goals and assists added, with 105, even topping MVP and Danish world champion Mathias Gidsel.

“A lot has happened since then, of course, a lot has come at me from outside. But handball is a fast-moving business and it’s often all about the last few games. I had a lot of great moments at the World Championship because I was often able to show what level I can play at. But there were also other moments, I had ups and downs, but that’s just a matter of development. I am happy to take on responsibility, that’s my ambition – and I want to be successful and help the team,” says Knorr, who showed another impressive performance in Germany’s final EHF EURO Cup match against Spain, when he scored 10 goals in the first half in a 13-goal outing that match.

But what is his major role in the national team – goals or assists?

“Whether I contribute more as a shooter or with assists depends on every game. I want to be a complete player at some point, so I need to become more consistent,” Knorr says.

“I still have too many ups and downs. It’s a learning process. I want to control and steer a game and want to score to reach a higher level.”

Now, the 23-year-old from the Baltic Sea carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. His first EHF EURO match is the record-setting opening match in Düsseldorf, facing Switzerland in a march attended by more than 50,000 spectators.

“Right now, I cannot imagine playing in front of over 50,000 spectators. Germany played in a football arena at the final weekend in Stockholm in 2020. There weren't that many people for this game, and even when the arena was full, it wasn’t even 50 per cent of those who will come to Düsseldorf. I hope that I will be fit and in top form and that we win the opening game against Switzerland.”

In the EHF EURO Cup, Germany finished fourth, winning only once, but getting defeated clearly by both Denmark and Sweden twice. Therefore, Knorr does not estimate his side as the main favourite in January.

“These nations have managed to perform consistently over the years. We are still a long way from that. These countries have that winning gene, that self-confidence and that self-image that we still lack sometimes. We can deliver that in one game, but not consistently. It simply takes time, our team has a significantly lower number of international matches in the overall roster compared to France or Spain.”

But still, the confidence is there to make something big on home ground.

“We have very strong goalkeepers, and we have the potential to play a strong defence and get into a fast-paced game, which can also be our strength. But of course, you are under pressure at such a big home tournament, even if the spotlight in Germany is on the national team every January. We will have to be focussed and keep calm in order to go far.”

In November, Germany faced African champions Egypt in two test matches, one ended in a draw (31:31), one victorious (28:27). For Knorr it were two good experiences of where his team stands currently: “We had ups and downs and we saw on what we still need to work on before the EHF EURO. We do not have much time left in the final preparations, but many things have been rehearsed, we are not starting from scratch, we have to find our rhythm.”

Shortly before the EHF EURO, Germany will face Portugal twice in their final two tests.

In Gislason’s provisional 35-player squad for the EHF EURO, five players were part of the team that won the U21 world title on home ground this summer: Knorr’s Löwen teammate David Späth, Renars Uscins, Justus Fischer (both TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), and Füchse Berlin duo Max Beneke and Nils Lichtlein, who was named MVP.

“We have a lot of great talents in our squad. For now, I am happy that I am no longer the youngest player in the squad. A lot has changed in our team since I played my first international match. But we all get on really well, the atmosphere is cool, the new, young players are all ambitious, talented and down-to-earth. We have a lot of potential in the team for the future.”

Therefore, Knorr hopes that the pressure is not that high at the EHF EURO 2024: “Our team is only at the beginning of its development, everyone is still finding his way, so it’s an extremely cool thing that we have a tournament at home now.”

photos © 2022-23 Sascha Klahn