“A decision of the heart and mind”

A Thrilling few weeks are behind me. First there was the most important decision of my career, then I had my comeback in the national team after a one year absence – and now we are back on track for the VELUX EHF Champions League.

It was only two days before my 27^th birthday, when Rhein Neckar Löwen and I announced the extension of my contract at Mannheim until 2016.

It was a long and intense process to find out what is right for me, my girlfriend and my future.

I had several top offers from other clubs, but finally I decided to stay where I belong – at Löwen, the club I have played for since 2003. Once a lion, always a lion.

Of course I was under a certain pressure before finally the deal was sealed, especially as there was huge public interest in where I will play in the future.

It was a decision of both the heart and mind. I have a significant role in both the team and the club – which was one reason, the other was that my girlfriend and I like it here – from a private and business point of view.

As she had been abroad for a long time in the decisive phase of negotiations, we needed some time to think everything over, as she was definitely involved in this decision.

What the Löwen fans did for me certainly made it easier to stay, lifting “Uns Uwe” (Uwe is ours) posters at our home matches.

They tried everything to show me the importance of staying at Mannheim. So the captain did not jump ship, but took responsibility for the future of the team.

So I received a brilliant birthday party which gave me goose bumps. The fans started singing never ending songs and praising me after we had won our Bundesliga match on the same day. It was very emotional and extra-ordinary to feel the great support.

International return

Boosted by those experiences, I returned to the German national team one week later, with whom I had not been with since October 2012 due to the rupture of my Achilles tendon in November 2012.

I felt at home right away despite the long absence. I did not participate in the 2013 World Championships in Spain and the crucial EHF EURO 2014 qualification match in Montenegro – which cost us our place in the final tournament for the first time.

I followed the match on the EHF Live Ticker in the middle of the night in a hotel room in Bangkok and I was deeply shocked when we lost – but life must go on.

On to the present and the beginning of November where won the Super Cup with three victories against Sweden, Poland and Egypt.

This proves that we are back on track, but unfortunately those victories do not make up for missing out on the EHF EURO.

In the national team my role is a little bit different compared to Löwen because it is not me, but my Löwen teammate Oliver Roggisch as team captain.

However, as I am one of the longer serving players on the team, I also take some responsibility as a key player in this team, marching ahead of younger players and I really enjoy pushing the team.