Andy Schmid’s last EHF EURO dance

“It has not been easy,” he told reporters.

A crowd of 3,000 Swiss fans were in the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA in Dusseldorf on the opening day of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024, having marched there from the city centre before the game against Germany.

There may not have been quite as many present in Berlin on Tuesday night, but Schmid, classy as he has always been, wanted to thank them anyway.

“For me to say goodbye in Germany, a country where I have spent 11 years and had my best handball years, was special,” he explains.

Before the start of the EHF EURO, Schmid did not want to make too much of a fuss about his retirement, wanting to focus on the performance of his team instead. He knew that the task for Switzerland to make it through to the main round was a huge one and that his individual story was not the main focus.

“Let’s put the emotions aside. I want to think about the team first, I want to help it win games and get results and think too much about myself,” he said before the first main round game against Germany, which Switzerland lost 14:27.

“For sure, it has been a long and beautiful journey for me with the national team, but I don’t want to think about it just yet.”

The retirement of the HC Kriens-Luzern centre back, who turned 40 last summer, will leave a huge void in the Swiss roster. Considered by many as the best Swiss player of all time, he was a part of the Nati since 2003 and played a total of 218 international games. On Tuesday, his 12 goals took him into the all-time top scorer spot for Swiss players – 1,093 goals, beating Marc Baumgartner.

“I was barely born when he was already playing for the national team,” jokes Nikola Portner, the Swiss goalkeeper. “I have now the privilege to call him a friend, but he is such an icon for the young players in our country. I am sure he influenced a lot of kids and actually made them take on handball.”

Despite being 40, Schmid still very much had an impact on his team during the EHF EURO, scoring a total of 19 goals in the three games and making 13 assists. He was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match for the last game against North Macedonia, despite Switzerland’s 27:29 loss.

“He was amazing, like he has always been,” thinks his former Rhein-Neckar Löwen teammate Jannik Kohlbacher.

No wonder then that, before their preliminary game against Switzerland, France took a special moment to scout what they thought remained their best opponent.

“He still runs very fast and still has a lot of impact,” said French coach Guillaume Gille, ahead of the draw between the two teams (26:26). “Andy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, he is a real poison for his opponents, thanks to his huge knowledge of the game.”

Now that he has retired, it will be down to other players to take the leadership in the Swiss national team. Double EHF Champions League winner Portner or left back Lenny Rubin should be among the ones now paving the way for young Swiss to take on handball.

“I’m not pretentious enough to say I will have the same impact on national handball as Andy did,” concludes Portner. “All I know is that it was a real pleasure for me to be part of his journey with the national team, and that he sure can leave as a proud man.”

Photos © Kolektiff Images