The back numbers

Before kick-off, the SG Flensburg-Handewitt fans celebrate their team's line-up. They go through the line-up: first the shirt number, then the player's name. Are the numbers just simple digits or is there more to it than that? The editorial team asked the players. Here are the results.

How did Lasse Møller get the rather high 64? Many people will have asked themselves that. The answer emphasizes the importance his family has for him. His father had 16 as a goalkeeper, his brother chose 32 as a left winger, and the SG backcourt ace doubled again and has been playing with 64 ever since. Other SG players also have family reasons. "I got the 17 from my father, he wore it forever and I inherited it from an early age," reveals Marko Grgic. Domen Novak is now wearing the 63, as his little son was born on March 6. Patrick Volz's younger brother has his birthday on the 28th of the month. Also a nice occasion for a shirt number.

Contacts and interactions
For some players, the personal number is almost a ritual. Simon Pytlick, for example, is only known by the number 2. "When I first came to GOG, I was the tallest boy and only the jersey with the number 2 fitted me," says the ace back with a smile. That wasn't about to change in Flensburg either. "I would have switched anyway, of course," smiles Simon Pytlick. Lukas Jørgensen joined the SG with him in 2023. He had become world champion with Denmark for the first time in January - with the 25. The circle player was delighted that "his" 25 was still available at the SG. There is also a group - a small one, mind you - who don't have much to do with their shirt number. For example: Aksel Horgen. The Norwegian right winger has already played with the 2, 3, 22 or 25 and with the 27 at the SG. "Maybe that will be my number for the future," smiles the Norwegian. Emil Jakobsen has a similar view, although he has only been seen with the 31 for years. "They gave it to me at GOG back then because it was still free - and I've always kept it," says the left winger.

20250928-IAJ12160 — Simon Pytlick: always with the 2.

From 16 to 20
The shirt number is not normally changed voluntarily. It was different for Kevin Møller. He kept the SG goal with the number 16 from 2014 to 2018, when he made his debut for the Danish national team - with the number 20. When the keeper returned from Barcelona in 2021, he thought to himself: "Why should I have two different numbers?" The decision was made in favor of 20. "It suited me better because my birthday is on June 20 and I had my first international match on my birthday," explains Kevin Møller.

The "legends law"
The club has two requirements when it comes to choosing the right number: It must be free - and it must not have worn one of the SG legends. But once they weren't careful. In 2007, the burly keeper Dane Sijan joined the SG as Jan Holpert's successor and, like the goalkeeping legend, wore 12. The Serbian left the SG after just one season. Since then, the "legend law" has been meticulously observed. Benjamin Buric had grown up with the number 12, then switched to the classic goalkeeper number at the SG: 1. Blaž Blagotinšek even had double "bad luck". At his last station in Göppingen, he wore 21, and in the Slovenian national team, he opted for 3. But at the SG, both numbers are protected as legends because of Jacob Heinl and Tobias Karlsson. And Emil Jakobsen already had the 31 from Veszprém. So the pivot opted for 43. "March 4 is my daughter's birthday," reveals Blaž Blagotinšek. Niclas Kirkeløkke changed from 3 to 5 because of Tobias Karlsson. "The number has no meaning now, but it looks pretty good," says the left-hander. Position colleague Kent Robin Tønnesen used to have the 15 or the 5, neither of which worked for the SG - because of Lars Christiansen and Niclas Kirkeløkke. So the Norwegian switched to 23.

The thing with the eighth man
Another number that is no longer assigned is 8. It is dedicated to the "eighth man", the audience. Johannes Golla experienced this first-hand when he joined the SG in 2018. At MT Melsungen, he had worn the 8. "It was quickly made clear to me that the eight was reserved for the spectators," smiles the captain. And when he thought about taking the 3 like his father once did, Tobias Karlsson ran into him. Johannes Golla got so used to this number that he took it with him into the DHB selection.

The 94 is a record
The rules allow all numbers between 1 and 99. The highest back number ever in use was the 94 of the then junior keeper Christopher Rudeck. In second place is 77, which is currently held by Luca Witzke. "The 7 is my favorite number, which my dad used to wear in handball and which I've had my entire career so far," says the playmaker. But of course there is Anders Eggert at the SG. So in this case, the 77 can be read as a double seven. Thilo Knutzen avoided a collision of numbers early on. He once also had the 7, but opted for the 34 when he joined the SG in the A-Youth. "I was a big fan of Aron Palmarsson back then and watched a lot of highlight videos of him," the youngster explains. "I then decided on 34, because three plus four is also seven."

Created by ki