Constantin Möstl: “I feel like the main character in a crazy dream”

And Möstl has every right to be amazed by what is happening to him right now. On Saturday night, he was voted as Grundfos Player of the Match in the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 main round game against Germany, where Austria drew 22:22 in front of 20,000 German fans.

“It was surreal, but I just did what I usually do. Andreas Wolff came to me and congratulated me as well, he was someone I looked up to as a young goalkeeper, and I still do. I still can’t get my head around what is happening,” says the Alpla Hard player.

Growing up, Niklas Landin was Möstl’s idol, and maybe he secretly hopes that Austria can make it to the semi-finals so they can play against Denmark and he can meet the Danish legend.

“If you had told me a couple of weeks ago that we would be talking about semi-finals or getting an Olympic ticket or whatever – we laughed about it, to be honest. But now it is all happening,” Möstl says, while shaking his head.

The goalkeeper, who says he would like to play “in a bigger league, at some point” does not exactly come from nowhere. His father Werner was one of the legends of the Austrian national team, playing more than 100 international games as a goalkeeper. And while Möstl had the choice to do something else, he decided to play as the goalkeeper after trying every position in handball.

Möstl was watching from the stands in Vienna during EHF EURO 2020, when Austria won their three preliminary round games, but now he is standing on the court.

“I have very emotional memories of being in the tribune, shouting and hoping that the national team would win the game. I remember Nikola Bylik and Lukas Hutecek being outstanding and now, I’m one of them,” he says, before adding in a whisper: “All of this is completely surreal. Like, every part of this story is crazy.”

Möstl has so far faced 166 shots at the EHF EURO 2024, and saved 59 of them, more than any other goalkeeper at the tournament. His Player of the Match award against Germany was his third so far - he also won it for their opening win against Romania and their main round victory over Hungary.

To add to the craziness, the Austrian team has generated a wave of support back home. Football teams, music stars and even the Austrian vice-chancellor have expressed their support on social media, making everyone in the country feel like something huge is happening.

“I have, personally, received too many messages to count. I have not time to reply to them all,” Möstl adds. “To think that the vice-chancellor is supporting our team, which plays a small sport in the country, that’s a lot of fun.”

And when you ask Möstl about how he feels about the fact that, maybe, some 12-year-old boy in Austria might be saying “I want to be him”, just like Möstl did 10 years ago when he saw Niklas Landin, he seems a little bit lost for words.

“That would be really cool. I really hope that what is happening to us right now might be the start of something great for Austrian handball, and that kids will start playing it after they saw us at the EURO.”