10.02.2010, 08:58
Fritz remains a „Lion"

The German goalkeeper extends his contract until 2011.

Fritz remains a „Lion"

World Champion, European Champion, Olympics Silver Medallist, World Handball Player of the Year, double Champions League winner, five times German champion, four times EHF cup winner – almost no other player in the EHF Champions League has a list of his success that long.

Despite all this titles, Henning Fritz is still hungry. The 35 year old goalkeeper, who played for SC Magdeburg and THW Kiel before, extended his contract with the Rhein Neckar Löwen until 2011.

His drive is to win titles with the club he has been playing for since 2007. "I want to be successful and I want to win titles – and I have those perspectives with the Rhein Neckar Löwen. We’re on a very good way," the goalkeeper gave the reason for his new contract. "And I want to help the team in winning titles with my performance."

The Löwen really are on a good way this season: Like group opponents MKB Veszprém the Germans are already qualified for the Main Round of the Champions League. On Sunday they qualified for the fifth consecutive time for the German Cup Final Four.

In the Bundesliga Henning Fritz & Co. currently rank on the fifth place, but only two points below the "Bronze place", that would mean qualification for the next CL season.

"We’re on a good way, even if we unluckily lost some Bundesliga matches," Fritz says. This evening the "Lions" have the great chance to beat Fritz’ former club THW Kiel. The northerners started weak after the EURO break on home soil.

On Saturday the Germans plan to take revenge against the Polish champion Targi Vive Kielce. "We lost a point against them due to a very bad final stage of the match," Fritz commented the 29:29 in the first encounter. "Now we want to get back this point."

The game in Poland is something very special for Mariusz Jurasik, who is currently playing his fifth years for the Löwen, before he will be returning to his home country. With two of his former team mates, Karol Bielecki and All-star goalkeeper Sławomir Szmal, Jurasik played at the EURO for Poland.

TEXT: Björn Pazen