Historically, Germany have always produced fantastic goalkeepers. Starting back in the day with Andreas Thiel, continuing with Henning Fritz, Carsten Lichtlein or Jan Holpert and coming into the last years with Andreas Wolff spearheading the senior national team, Germany have a chequered history for this position.

And the future looks bright, as David Späth has already earned his plaudits at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, where he made the All-Star team, quickly making his debut in the senior team in 2023 and already featuring at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Looking even further, Germany have another gem on their hands in the All-Star goalkeeper of the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, Finn Knaack. The player grown at HSV Hamburg, where he has been playing since 2020, had already made his debut in the Bundesliga – featuring twice between the posts for his side - before shining in Egypt and now is ready to make the next step.

“I was only five years old when I started playing handball in my local club in Northern Germany. Goalkeeping just came to me. I started as a field player, probably as every goalkeeper here, and one day, the goalkeeper was not there, to practice,” says Knaack.

“And then my coach said, Finn, try to go in goal. And this is what I did and have been doing ever since on the court.”​​​​​​

Hamburg knew they had a gem on their hands, as the current sports director of the team is Johannes Bitter, Germany’s former goalkeeper, who had 175 caps in the senior team and was a member of the side which won the gold medal at the 2007 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Knaack already had a roadmap ahead of him, being loaned by Hamburg to TUSEM Essen, in the second league, this season, providing more playing time to a future star who is only 18 years old.

But the shot stopper has definitely got the eyes on him after his performance at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, where he helped Germany secure the gold medal with some fantastic performances, being clearly the number one on his position in the title-winning squad.

Only one goalkeeper had a better saving efficiency than Knaack – Bahrain’s Mohamed Abdulhusan, who had 22 saves from 58 shots, for a 37.9% saving efficiency. On the other hand, Knaack had 75 saves for a 35.2% saving efficiency, with a much tougher schedule and two matches more played than the Asian goalkeeper. Only one goalkeeper – Slovenia’s Matevž Mlakar, made more saves than Knaack, 81.

And in the epic final against Spain, Knaack also delivered a masterclass, with 12 saves, including two penalty shots in the shoot-out, helping Germany to a 41:40 win.

“I am still a bit speechless. It is an unbelievable feeling and I am so proud of my team,” said Knaack after the final against Spain.

The 18-year-old goalkeeper had some excellent matches, starting with a 50% saving efficiency against Uruguay in the maiden match of the competition. He then continued with a flawless performance in the win against Slovenia, with 18 saves for a 42% saving efficiency, and added nine saves for a 57% saving efficiency against France.

He shared duties with Anel Durmić in the main round win against Norway and the quarter-final win against Hungary, before making six saves in the 32:30 win against Denmark in the semi-final.

It might not look as lighting up the board, but taking into account that Germany did not win by more than two goals in the knockout phase of the competition, every save made by Knaack kicked off a domino effect which finally saw Germany win the trophy.

And Knaack was, obviously, the top goalkeeper in the competition, earning a place in the All-Star team.

“I didn't really think I could get this individual trophy or be in the contention for it. It just feels fantastic. I am speechless. It is just so nice that I was selected, it’s unbelivable,” says a humble Knaack.

But this is just the beginning. The younger age category World Championship editions serve as a springboard for talent to shine and Knaack will have all eyes on him for the future due to his role in Germany’s unbeaten performance to lift the title.

Therefore, comparisons will be inevitable. The first one is definitely the one with the current Germany senior national team goalkeeper, Andreas Wolff. Knaack stands at 2,00m tall, Wolff is only two centimetres shorter.

And while it might be too early to compare their styles, Knaack probably has a penchant for stopping penalties, having five saves from 21 penalties faced throughout the competition at Egypt 2025.

“I always looked up to him when I started handball. I have been a fan of Andreas Wolff since he was in Wetzlar. I always watched his matches,” says Knaack.

Only the future will tell if the 18-year-old will follow into Wolff’s footsteps. But his first steps were excellent.