Jim Gottfridsson has gotten used to being the Swedish endurance runner.

"I've almost played through since the 2016 Olympics," he says, "I've always had the full confidence of my national coaches." His current coach is no exception.

Glenn Solberg often holds back during the time-outs and leaves it to Jim Gottfridsson to prepare the next attack.

Gottfridsson also has an important say in terms of defence.

The 29-year-old playmaker has the inestimable advantage that he can also cover well - and not outside, where coaches often hide their directors on the defensive, but in the much more demanding half-position.

While other game drivers are often allowed to rest on the bench when the opponent attacks, Gottfridsson is always in demand in front and behind.

He likes it, he wants it that way.

Breaks are not for him.

Considering all international matches since the summer of 2016, Gottfridsson has played the most minutes of any Swedish international.

The man without tiredness from the SG Flensburg-Handewitt is urgently needed again this Friday evening.

At 6 p.m. (in the FAZ live ticker for the European Handball Championship) his team meets France in the semifinals of this European Handball Championship in Budapest.

The Olympic champion pulled his neck out with a 30-29 win over Denmark on Wednesday night, leaving Iceland sad.

Attacks like from the drawing board

The day before, the Swedes, who were already hopelessly behind, had defeated their big rival from Norway in the last few seconds and thus finally blurred the weak impression at the home European Championship 2020.

In the second semi-final world champion Denmark plays against the defending champion from Spain.

Game intelligence, goal threat, robustness in defense: Jim Gottfridsson has everything that distinguishes a world-class player.

The attacks of the Swedes look like from the drawing board.

Fast, hard, accurate and very often surprising - these are Gottfridsson's passes.

And the people around you can do something with it.

That's a different level than in the backcourt of the Germans, where balls flew somewhere else or weren't caught.

Gottfridsson revealed during the days of this European Championship that he scans the game like a coach: "I'm a handball nerd and think about everything.

I would like to play for another five or six years and then become a coach.

The best thing you can experience as a coach is to train your own country," he told the tabloid "Ekspressen".

He is not interested in replacing Solberg, who is 20 years his senior.

The Norwegian only took over the Swedes after the disappointing European Championships two years ago.

A year later, she used innovative methods to lead Solberg to second place at the World Cup in Egypt.

He relies on the personal responsibility of the players, is a partner to the pros, not a manager.

That fits well with this team full of leaders.

Jim Gottfridsson jokingly says: “Glenn is doing great.

I won't relieve him until his hair is gray."