DHB

Due to the European Championship in their own country, German handball players are currently receiving a lot of attention. But how well do the DHB stars actually earn?

It’s a good life as a professional athlete: That’s a cliché that is mainly fueled by the millions in footballers’ salaries. The reality for many athletes in “smaller” sports is often far less luxurious.

At the moment the focus is primarily on the German handball players who are currently completing the European Championships in their own country. The opening game against Switzerland in front of a record crowd of more than 53,000 spectators will take national coach Alfred Gíslason’s team via Berlin to the main round in Cologne.

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Quelle: ARD/ZDF

The DHB team from the capital traveled there in a very down-to-earth manner by train. Luxury like private jets or special charter flights like in football? None. But is handball always so modest? How much do the DHB stars earn?

Captain Golla leads the ranking

The “Sportbuzzer” platform has put together a ranking that shows the salaries of German national players. Accordingly, captain Johannes Golla is the team’s top earner. SG Flensburg-Handewitt is said to pay him 40,000 euros per month for his services. This corresponds to an annual salary of 480,000 euros.

Behind Golla, two veterans from the DHB team, Kai Häfner (TVB Stuttgart) and Andreas Wolff (Industria Kielce), are also in second place. Both should earn 35,000 euros a month. Interestingly, since the top tax rate in Poland is significantly lower than in Germany, Wolff, as the only national player working abroad, is likely to earn more net than Häfner and Golla. Right winger Timo Kastening from MT Melsungen is in third place with 30,000 euros. The top five is completed by the two Rhine-Neckar lions Juri Knorr (28,000 euros) and Jannik Kohlbacher (27,000 euros).

The complete salary list of the DHB stars according to “Sportbuzzer”:

• First place: Johannes Golla (SG Flensburg-Handewitt), 40,000 Euro
• Second place: Kai Häfner (TSV Stuttgart), Andreas Wolff (Industria Kielce), 35,000 euros
• Third place: Timo Kastening (MT Melsungen), 30,000 Euro
• Fourth place: Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), 28,000 euros
• Fifth place: Jannik Kohlbacher (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), 27,000 euros
• Sixth place: Philipp Weber (SC Magdeburg), Julian Köster (VfL Gummersbach), Sebastian Heymann (Frisch Auf Göppingen), 25,000 euros each
• Seventh place: Christoph Steinert (HC Erlangen), 20,000 euros
• Eighth place: Lukas Mertens (SC Magdeburg), Rune Dahmke (THW Kiel), 18,000 euros each
• Ninth place: David Späth (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), 15,000 euros
• Tenth place: Nils Lichtlein (Füchse Berlin), Renārs Uščins (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), Justus Fischer (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), each 12,000 euros
• Eleventh place: Martin Hanne (TSV Hannover-Burgdorf), 10,000 euros

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the average German annual salary was 49,260 euros in 2023. This corresponds to a monthly salary of 4,105 euros. The German top earner Golla earns almost ten times as much.

Nevertheless: Compared to king football, the achievements of German handball players are almost modest. According to media reports, the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr transfers 200 million euros a year to its superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, making him the number one footballer. Calculated down, this means that Ronaldo has a monthly salary of around 16.6 million euros and a daily salary of around 555,000 euros.

This means that the football superstar earns more money in one day than top handball earner Golla does in an entire year. The top earner in the Bundesliga is Bayern striker Harry Kane with a rumored annual salary of 25 million euros.

Golla: “I am very satisfied”

The gap between football and handball is large, but top handball earner Golla himself doesn’t mind. “It’s a huge difference, but the boys in football also pay their price for it,” said Golla in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper. “They are even more in the public eye and have even less freedom. I am very happy that I have a good life with my sport and can save something for later,” said the DHB captain.

2024-01-18 15:35:19.744 – 1705592119744

Especially since the 26-year-old is aware that significantly less money is earned in other sports. “At the Olympics, I saw how many athletes invest everything for four years and then go even further financially at the end,” said Golla. “We are in the privileged situation that we can still earn good money with our sport.”

2024-01-18 14:20:22
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