Handball: Italy’s goalkeeper also sings the German anthem

Handball: Italy’s goalkeeper also sings the German anthem

Handball World Cup
Why the Italian goalkeeper also sang along to the German national anthem


Italy’s handball goalkeeper Domenico Ebner first sang his team’s anthem, then also the German one. The keeper has a close connection to both countries.

Anyone who looked closely before the Handball World Cup game between Germany and Italy in Herning, Denmark, could observe an unusual event: The Italian goalkeeper Domenico Ebner first belted out his country’s anthem – and then sang along to “Unity and Law and Freedom ” with.

Ebner’s anthem double already revealed that it was a very special game for the keeper. The 30-year-old was born in Freiburg and has spent his entire life in Germany. But Ebner’s mother is Italian. And when the Italian handball association asked in 2017 whether the Bundesliga goalkeeper wanted to stand between the posts for the Squadra Azzurra, he took on dual citizenship.

Handball goalkeeper Domenico Ebner is learning Italian

He has the honor of taking part in Italy’s first World Cup participation since 1997. “As an Italian, you obviously have to sing the national anthem. I learned this with my mother. If you didn’t do that, it would be a bit like high treason,” he said before the game against Germany. Overall, there is still a bit of a problem with the language. “My Italian isn’t quite that good yet. The grammar is difficult and I also lack a bit of vocabulary.”

In the Bundesliga, Domenico Ebner plays for SC DHfK Leipzig. He came to the Italian national team by chance: the association became aware of him because of his Italian first name, and the team’s German assistant coach contacted him via Facebook. At the World Cup in Denmark things went surprisingly well for the underdog from Italy, but in the main round game against Germany even Ebner couldn’t prevent the 27:34 defeat. Germany is now in the World Cup quarter-finals.

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Source: Stern

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