Christian Zeitz

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Christian Zeitz

| image = Christian Zeitz 06.JPG

| caption = Zeitz playing for Veszprém in 2014.

| nationality = German

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|10|18|df=y}}

| birth_place = Heidelberg, West Germany

| height = {{convert|1.86|m|ftin}}

| position = Right back

| years1 = 1986–2002

| clubs1 = TSV Östringen

| years2 = 2002–2003

| clubs2 = SG Kronau-Östringen

| years3 = 2002–2003

| clubs3 = SG Wallau-Massenheim

| years4 = 2003–2014

| clubs4 = THW Kiel

| years5 = 2014–2016

| clubs5 = MVM Veszprém

| years6 = 2016–2018

| clubs6 = THW Kiel

| years7 = 2018–2020

| clubs7 = SG Nußloch

| years8 = 2020

| clubs8 = TVB 1898 Stuttgart

| years9 = 2020–2022

| clubs9 = GWD Minden

| nationalyears1 = 2001–2008

| nationalteam1 = Germany

| nationalcaps1 = 166

| nationalgoals1 = 458

| medaltemplates =

}}

Christian Zeitz (born 18 November 1980 in Heidelberg){{cite Sports-Reference |title=Christian Zeitz |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ze/christian-zeitz-1.html |accessdate=30 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204054256/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ze/christian-zeitz-1.html |archive-date=4 December 2016 |url-status=dead}} is a former German handball player.

Zeitz received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with the German national team.{{cite web |url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=26&sp=HAN |title=2004 Summer Olympics – Athens, Greece – Handball |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407003625/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=26&sp=HAN |archivedate=2008-04-07 |website=databaseOlympics.com |accessdate=2 February 2008}} He is World Champion from 2007, and European champion from 2004.

He was known for an unconventional playing style, often called 'street handball'.{{cite news|author=Erik Eggers|title=Nationalspieler Zeitz: Der Handball-Extremist|publisher= Der Spiegel|date=25 January 2006 |language=de}}

Career

Zeitz began playing handball aged 6 with his two older brothers.{{cite web |url=https://www.tsv-oestringen.de/index.php/vereinsgeschichte |title=TSV BADEN Östringen e. V. - Vereinsgeschichte |access-date=2023-04-13|language=de}} At 18 he became a part of the first team at TSV Östringen in the 2. Bundesliga. When the tem fused with TSG Kronau to SG Kronau-Östringen, he followed. With the club he was promoted to the 1st Bundesliga.

He then joined THW Kiel, where he won the German Championship 9 times, the DHB-Pokal 6 times and the EHF Champions League 3 times.{{cite web |url=https://archiv.thw-handball.de/thw/sp_zeitz.htm |title=THW Kiel: Christian Zeitz |publisher=THW Kiel|access-date=2023-04-13|language=de}}

He then joined Hungarian MKB-MVM Veszprém.{{cite web|url=http://history.eurohandball.com/article/017469/Zeitz+to+join+Veszpr%C3%A9m+in+2014 |publisher=European Handball Federation|website=history.eurohandball.com|title=Zeitz to join Veszprém in 2014|access-date=14 November 2020}} Here he won the Hungarian double two teams and the Hungarian Super Cup three times.

From the 2016-17 season he returned to THW Kiel,{{cite news|url=https://www.ndr.de/sport/handball/Zeitz-Comeback-beim-THW-Kiel,thwkiel1046.html |publisher=NDR|title=Transfercoup: Zeitz zurück zu den "Zebras"|access-date=10 August 2016|language=de}} where he once again won the DHB-Pokal. On 16 February 2018 he was suspended from the club due to disagreements on the exact lengths of his contract.{{cite news|url=http://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-1-101525.html |title=THW mit Details zur Suspendierung: Zeitz bezweifelt Befristung der Vertragslaufzeit an.|publisher=handball-world.news|date=17 February 2018|language=de}} In court the parts agreed to terminate the contract at the end of the season.{{cite news|url=https://www.sport1.de/news/handball/handball-bundesliga/2018/07/handball-thw-kiel-einigt-sich-mit-christian-zeitz-vor-gericht |publisher=sport1.de|title=THW Kiel einigt sich mit Zeitz|access-date=5 December 2023|language=de}} The club also had to pay Zeitz 75.000 euroes. Afterwards the club faced criticism from its fans, when they removed his portrait from the club history gallery.{{cite news|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/streit-im-handball-der-hammer-wird-abgehaengt-1.4093657 |publisher=Süddeutsche Zeitung|title=Der Hammer wird abgehängt|language=de}}{{cite news|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-1-107348.html |title=Ausführliche Stellungnahme: Christian Zeitz über die "vertraglichen Differenzen" mit dem THW Kiel|publisher=Handball-World|language=de}}

At the end of the affair he joined SG Nußloch in the 3. Liga.{{cite news |url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-11-106089.html |title=Wechsel von Christian Zeitz in 3. Liga bestätigt |publisher=handball-world.news |date=2018-07-16 |access-date=2024-02-24|language=de}} In February 2020 after the bankruptcy of SG Nußloch, he returned to the Bundesliga to join TVB 1898 Stuttgart for the rest of the season.{{cite news|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-1-122534.html |publisher=handball-world.news|title=Transferhammer: TVB Stuttgart holt Christian Zeitz zurück in die Handball Bundesliga|access-date=13 February 2020|language=de}} The following season he joined GWD Minden.{{cite news|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-1-126802.html |publisher=handball-world.news|title=Transfercoup: GWD Minden verpflichtet Christian Zeitz|access-date=25 September 2020|language=de}} In November 2022 he announced his retirement.{{cite news |url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-1-1-146800.html |title="Als Egoist hätte ich es sicher nicht soweit gebracht" - Christian Zeitz über sein Karriereende |publisher=handball-world.news |author=Christopher Monz |date=2022-11-07 |access-date=2022-11-07|language=de}}