The in-form Wolff is expected to play a key role in the semi-final between Germany and Denmark at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 on Friday. On the other flank will be right-back Matthias Gidsel, who will be hoping to repeat Wolff’s exploits in 2016 and lead the team from the semi-finals to the top of the podium.
While Wolff was relatively unknown outside of Germany until becoming a national team hero in 2016, Gisel has firmly established himself in recent years, but there are still some interesting similarities. As of EHF EURO 2016, Wolff is 24 years old and Gidsel is currently 24 years old. In 2016, Germany returned to the top of the Euro podium for the first time in 12 years, a long time since Denmark last lifted the trophy in 2012. And just like Germany relies on Wolff, Denmark is definitely relying on a great player. Games from Gidsel are the most dangerous for them.
Ghisel has won two MVP titles since making his major tournament debut just three years ago, and if he plays as expected in the final weekend, he could very well win his first award at EHF EURO. In his first international competition, the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, the right-back immediately attracted attention. He scored 10 goals in his debut, was named to the All-Star team, and ranked among the top 10 scorers.
Seven months later, Denmark won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. There, Ghisel became the second-leading scorer behind teammate Mikel Hansen and led the tournament in assists, earning him his first MVP award. Gisel made his EHF EURO debut in 2022, securing a place in the All-Star team and finishing at the level of the field’s leading scorer.
Although he already has a long list of accomplishments to speak of with the national team, Gysel’s standing in international competition has reached new heights since the last EHF EURO. At the 2023 World Championships, he was named MVP as Denmark reclaimed the world title, and despite not taking a penalty shot, he was the overall leading scorer and finished third with 42 assists.