Geoffrey Bömhuer against Germany before his 100th match

Today the Netherlands and Germany meet in the World Handball Championship. Former Melsinger Jeffrey Boomhower plays his 100th international match today.

Kattowitz / Kassel – Geoffrey Boomhauer once became the ‘Flying Dutchman’ at German handball club MT Melsungen – and a crowd favourite. After leaving North Hesse in 2018 and four years at Bergischer, he now plays for his parent club Aalsmeer. The left winger is in full swing at the moment with the Netherlands national team at the World Cup.

Ahead of today’s Orange selection main round match from 8:30pm (ZDF) in Katowice against Germany, we spoke to the 34-year-old, who will play his 100th cap today. His family is in Katowice for moral support.

You are one of the most experienced players in the Dutch national team. Early in your career, did you think you would one day play a major match against Germany in the World Cup?

No, that was out of the question at the time. That was still a long way off. Now I’m looking forward to the duel against the German national team. Especially, of course, to see Johannes Jula again. He was my teammate at MT Melsungen and we were certainly more than colleagues.

What do you expect from this game?

It will be an interesting encounter. We must be ready for a tough battle. I think it will stay very close to the end.

What are the strengths of the Dutch?

We have a different style of play than many other countries. The way we attack with energetic players like Luc Steins and Dani Baijens makes it difficult to defend. We rely on high speed and we are tactically superior. I think we get along very well as a team. With us, every player gives up everything until the last minute.

How impressed are you with the German national team’s performance so far?

I’ve only looked at the results so far – and it’s no surprise. The team’s preparations for the next opponent begin with us the day before the match. As always, Germany will be the favorite ahead of us. But we want to surprise you.

Swede Staffan Olsson has coached Orangi since last year. How fun is it to work with a handball legend?

Staffan is an amazing coach. You can feel that he has a lot of experience. And he has a great sense of humor. Follow Favorite