Handball World Cup: Italy’s goalkeeper Domenico Ebner can’t stop cheering

Domenico Ebner cheers before the game, after the national anthem, at his own parade, at a defensive act by his colleague, at goals and actually at every other action on the field. He raises his arms in a continuous loop, and Ebner opens his mouth as if he were about to devour the handball in one bite in the next moment.

This is even more surprising since Ebner, 30, is a goalkeeper for the Italian national team. Italians had no place at the handball world championships for a long time; they hadn’t taken part in 28 years. Last time: 1997 World Cup, 18th place out of 24 teams. Before Ebner and his colleagues set out to write one of the most beautiful stories so far at this World Cup in Denmark, Norway and Croatia.

The Italians amaze everyone and themselves. They play and win at the start of the tournament against Tunisia and Algeria, two experienced World Cup participants. Too much for the emotional goalkeeper, who makes outstanding saves, every second throw at his goal in some games. Ebner cries to the reporters in the mixed zone when he is supposed to put the opening victory into words. He is constantly hugging a teammate, coach or physio. Ebner talks a lot and quickly, in English, Italian, German, all mixed up. “My grandmother is 92, she sits at home in front of the TV and has a heart attack,” says Ebner, beaming.

Ebner’s Italian is, well, expandable

The third game doesn’t go quite well. 20:39 against hosts Denmark, but the Danish fans support the Italian players like no other opposing team in the Jyske Bank Boxen. “One of the best defeats you can have,” says Ebner afterwards. After the win against the Czech Republic, his team even has a chance of reaching the quarter-finals, but they score first Italy on Thursday (6 p.m., ZDF) on Germany, Ebner’s other home country. “A dream,” the goalkeeper shakes his head.

Ebner originally had a career as a German national goalkeeper in mind. His mother is Italian, his father is German. He grew up in March near Freiburg and only played for German clubs; in the Bundesliga for Bietigheim, Hannover and Leipzig. His Italian is, well, improvable (“I don’t have the vocabulary”). But he can sing the national anthem; he practiced it in front of the television with his mother as a boy.

When the Italian association asked eight years ago, Ebner decided on the big adventure. He first had to apply for his Italian passport; he can still remember his first days as an international player. “When I came, I did a medical check that wasn’t worthy of a medical check,” says Ebner. When he received the first jersey, he was also surprised: “It felt like plastic.”

Since then, the association has gradually become more professional. Coach Riccardo Trillini has built a talented team that doesn’t really seem homogeneous, but acts with even greater will. The three professionals from the German Bundesliga – Simone Mengon from Eisenach, Leo Prantner from Balinger and Ebner – lead the team. “We have young players, we have old players. We have fat, thin, short and tall boys,” says Ebner: “When you see this team, my heart swells.”

Today the goalkeeper is certain: “I have chosen the right national team.”