Handball Euro 2024: Schluroff – Germany’s Key Player

If Miro Schluroff tried to throw, normal thinking people would probably run away. Handball goalkeepers don’t do that, but they still often have no chance when it comes to the 25-year-old backcourt player’s shots. As well as? In the group game against Serbia, Schluroff thundered the ball into the net at 134.1 kilometers per hour. This is the best value so far at this European Championship.

Already in the first games, the Gummersbach player showed the German fans what he was made of. Since the 32:30 win against Portugal at the start of the main round, the name Schluroff should also be known to the opposing nations. The 1.98 meter tall backcourt player was the DHB team’s top goalscorer with seven goals, all of which he scored in the second half.

After the game, Schluroff received a lot of praise from the coaching staff and teammates that was almost embarrassing. “He was a huge help for us,” said national coach Alfred Gislason about the man from VfL Gummersbach. “Miro’s job is to throw. With his throwing power, no goalkeeper can see the ball.” DHB keeper David Späth confirmed: “Everyone knows what kind of fire he has.” And assistant coach Erik Wudtke attested that Schluroff had a “strong arm in the arm” even before the European Championships.

Thanks to Schluroff’s throwing power, national coach Gislason has an ace up his sleeve every game. If quick players like Juri Knorr and Nils Lichtlein can’t find solutions in 1-on-1 situations, the Icelander can bring Schluroff. He either finishes from a distance or opens up gaps.

Because of the goal threat from the backcourt shooter, defenders are forced to attack him early. If that happens, Schluroff has already proven in this tournament that he can serve the circle runners Johannes Golla and Justus Fischer with clever passes.

Schluroff played a major role in the success of the DHB selection in the past games. “I’m incredibly happy and glad that I get this role and can help so much. I wouldn’t have expected that before the tournament,” he said.

Schluroff has only been playing for the German national team since March 2025, and the 25-year-old only played his twelfth international match against Portugal. For comparison: His Gummersbach teammate Julian Köster, who is the same age, has already made 78 international appearances. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” therefore describes Schluroff as a “late bloomer”.

Unlike many of his DHB teammates, he did not take the classic route through the DHB selection school. Schluroff spent his handball youth in Bremen, then moved to Wilhelmshavener HV and from there to the second team of Füchse Berlin, his first stop in the men’s area. He then moved to GWD Minden before VfL Gummersbach signed him in 2022.

At VfL, Schluroff matured into a national player and brought the traditional club back into international business as part of a new generation. With Schluroff, Köster, defense specialist Tom Kiesler and right winger Mathis Häseler, Gummersbach has the most DHB players at this European Handball Championship.

Schluroff must have thought better late than never. Within ten months he has developed into an integral part of the DHB team. The national coach no longer confuses him with Köster. The two black-haired backfield players are almost the same height and also look alike.

“There were one or two scenes at the beginning in which he addressed me incorrectly,” Schluroff recently reported with a smile. According to media reports, Gislason initially called him the “Gummersbach twin”.

Sporting talent runs in Schluroff’s family: his father Lars Unger played for Werder Bremen from 1991 to 1997. After a stint at Fortuna Düsseldorf, Unger moved to Bregenz, Austria, where his son Miro was born in 2000.

“The focus was more on handball in my circle of friends, also from a family perspective,” Schluroff told the “Bild” newspaper. “Only my father was a footballer, the rest were handball players. That’s how it happened over time.” Nevertheless, Schluroff reports that he is a Werder fan and follows the games regularly.

Accordingly, his girlfriend Kathleen and sister Tony also play handball. According to “Bild”, the latter was a teammate of Madita Woltemade, the sister of national soccer player Nick Woltemade, at the regional league team TV Oyten.

In addition to his handball skills, Schluroff has other, perhaps unimagined talents – such as being an entertainer. Even before the European Championships, many teammates confirmed in conversations with broadcaster Dyn that Schluroff was the team’s entertainer. “He makes sure everyone in the team laughs,” said DHB veteran Andreas Wolff. Schluroff also plays as a cabin DJ before and after the games. “So far, what he’s playing is going down quite well,” reported Julian Köster.

Schluroff has the potential to be a fan favorite. Also because, in contrast to his quieter DHB colleagues, he has mastered the game of social media. Schluroff is close to the fans and, among other things, leads through the videos on the Gummersbacher YouTube channel as a moderator. “It’s part of the job,” he said, describing social media as “extremely important.”

On Saturday, in the second main round game of the DHB selection against Norway in Herning (8.30 p.m./ZDF/Dyn), Schluroff’s sporting performance will be in demand again. The surprise effect has now worn off. The Scandinavians around superstar Sander Sagosen will watch the Germans’ past games closely in video studies and therefore now have a certain Miro Schluroff on their list.

Sources: “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, “Bild”, DHB, with DPA material