Handball legend Manuel Späth: A farewell with great emotions!

Handball legend Manuel Späth: A farewell with great emotions!

On July 5, 2025 it will be time to say goodbye to a true handball legend: Manuel Späth, the pivot who played for Frisch Auf Göppingen for a long time, is leaving the active sports stage. The handball world pays tribute to its crowd favorite with an emotional “late game” and celebrates the 39-year-old’s impressive career.

Born on October 16, 1985 in Ostfildern, Späth began his career in the youth ranks of JSG Ostfildern before moving to TB Ruit. In 2004 he moved to TSV Neuhausen, where he attracted attention as the most successful goalscorer in the Regionalliga Süd. Frisch Auf Göppingen recognized the talent and signed the 20-year-old in February 2006. The club's strategy was to integrate young German players into the Bundesliga, and coach Velimir Petkovic relied on Späth as a promising player. This was the starting signal for an impressive period that lasted until 2017, when Späth won the EHF Cup four times with Göppingen - an achievement that will forever connect the club and the player.

An impressive career

In his eleven years at Göppingen, Späth did not miss a single competitive game out of a total of 470 and played his 250th league game in a row on November 9, 2013 without injury or illness. After moving to TVB 1898 Stuttgart in 2017, things went international in 2020/21: he celebrated both the championship and the cup victory with the Portuguese club FC Porto. In 2021 he returned to Germany, where he continued his career at HSV Hamburg. After the 2021/22 season, Späth initiated the end of his career, but announced a return for two games at TVB in February 2024.

His international involvement began in 2008 with his debut in the German national team. Späth took part in the 2010 European Championships and played for Germany until his last international match against Sweden in March 2017. In his culinary career he won several titles, including the Württemberg Youth Championship in 2002 with HSG Ostfildern and several EHF cups.

A look at handball history

The history of handball in Germany is deeply rooted. The German Handball Association (DHB) was founded on October 1, 1949 in Mülheim an der Ruhr and is now the largest handball association in the world with over 700,000 members. The change from field handball to indoor handball in 1966 brought new training approaches, and the increase in talent like Manuel Späth shows how dynamically this sport has developed. The DHB is currently entering the “golden decade of handball”, crowned by international tournaments such as the Men's European Championship in 2024 and the Women's World Cup in 2025. The DHB's 75th anniversary celebration in October 2024 will also be an important moment in handball history.

Späth is not only a talented player, but also a role model for many young handball players. He earned his place in handball history with sweat and passion. His departure will leave a void in the handball world that will be difficult to fill. And one thing is certain: Manuel Späth will live on in the hearts of many fans.

For more information about Manuel Späth and his career, read the reports on Stuttgart News, Wikipedia and DHB.