A more than emotional triumph for handball goalie Portner

Nikola Portner is a man in demand after the 32:26 victory in the Champions League final against Füchse Berlin, patiently providing information in several languages. When he tells a German journalist that it is important to him to have won the Champions League three times like his father (previously the European Champions Cup), he is overcome with emotion after looking up towards the sky. Zlatko Portner, one of the greatest Yugoslav handball players of his time, died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2020 at the age of just 58.

Portner breaks off the interview and makes his way to the dressing room. As he hands out signatures to children, he regains his composure and takes a few more minutes to speak to the Keystone-SDA news agency. Portner says he started playing handball at a time when little attention was paid to Switzerland in this sport. "Now I can call myself a three-time Champions League winner. I'll probably only realize that when I'm back in Bern (he travels to his home country on Tuesday, the editors) in the environment in which I grew up."

Defying the difficult times

Portner was considered a great talent early on. He made his debut for the Swiss national team on November 2, 2011, shortly before his 18th birthday. At the age of 22, he ventured abroad and joined French club Montpellier, with whom he triumphed in the top flight for the first time in 2018. In 2020, he moved to Chambéry and was named the best goalkeeper in the French league in his second season. He subsequently joined Magdeburg. There he also met with skepticism. He has now won the Champions League with the East Germans for the second time since 2023.

A year ago, Magdeburg won the national double. However, Portner was absent in the decisive phase. He was suspended by the Bundesliga on April 11, 2024 after testing positive for methamphetamines. He even had to endure a house search. At the end of June last year, he was acquitted by the Bundesliga Executive Committee. However, the case is not yet closed, as the German National Anti-Doping Agency has appealed to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Portner understandably does not want to comment on this.

The difficult time makes the triumph in the Champions League even more emotional for him. The names of his wife and two daughters are written on a sweatband. "My girls are my MVPs," says Portner. His wife encouraged him not to give up and talked him through it. She said that God was great and that he would be compensated for the negative in whatever way, says Portner, still with the Swiss flag around his neck. In any case, he believes that "certain things" are predetermined. He is all the more grateful now and enjoys the moment all the more.

Zehnder satisfied with the recovery process

Manuel Zehnder was the second Swiss player to receive the gold medal in Cologne. However, the playmaker is recovering from a torn cruciate ligament suffered at the Yellow Cup at the beginning of January, which is why he was condemned to watch. His nerves were particularly strained in the semi-final against FC Barcelona, when Magdeburg's winning goal to make it 31:30 was scored on the final buzzer after a previous save by Portner. It was worse than playing, he says, describing his role as a spectator and adds: "The team knows how to deal with pressure."

Zehnder is satisfied with the recovery process. He is already jogging again and doing light jumps. "Everything is going great so far." When asked about the ideal course of events, he replies: "There is no such thing as an ideal course with this injury." That's why he's taking it as it comes and using the time to improve physically. He has also been working with a sports psychologist since the injury.