Highlights
- Schalke 04's recent performance in German football has been disastrous, going from challenging for Bundesliga titles to struggling in the second division.
- Many former Schalke players have gone on to achieve success at bigger clubs, such as Mesut Özil winning trophies with Real Madrid and Arsenal.
- If Schalke still had their best players, their dream XI would include notable names like Manuel Neuer, Ivan Rakitić, and Leroy Sané.
Schalke 04 are having something of a torrid time in German football of late. Having been challenging for Bundesliga titles recently, they now find themselves struggling in the second division.
Indeed, at the end of the 2017/18 season, Die Knappen finished second in the Bundesliga. They may have been 21 points behind champions Bayern Munich, but they were eight points above Hoffenheim in third, so were good value in their role as runners-up.
Just two seasons later they were relegated and after getting promoted back to the top flight they then went down again last term. As of right now, Schalke are 14th in 2. Bundesliga. They have just 20 points after 17 games three points off the play-off relegation spot.
Essentially, it's been a disastrous spell for the club over the past five years or so and we shouldn't forget that they also reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2010. Evidently, they've had some great players over the years but those footballers seem to have all moved on to bigger and brighter things.
One name that springs to mind immediately is Mesut Özil. The German left Schalke in 2008, and spent two years with Werder Bremen before signing for Real Madrid. He won La Liga in Spain, before bagging three FA Cups in England with Arsenal, as well as lifting the 2014 World Cup.
However, Özil then retired in 2023 after spells in Turkey with Fenerbahçe and İstanbul Başakşehir. As he's no longer playing the beautiful game, we can't name him in this squad. Even so, Schalke 04's dream XI if they still had all their best players is certainly quite something. GIVEMESPORT have created a team for you to read about below.
Manuel Neuer
Goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer came through every age group at Schalke, his hometown club, before making his debut in 2006. He quickly established himself as the club's number one and truly caught the eye in the aforementioned run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2010.
He left in 2011, joining Bayern Munich where he would win that European trophy at last in 2013, before lifting it once more in 2020. Like Ozil, he is another Schalke 04 II graduate to have won the World Cup in 2014.
Thilo Kehrer
Right-back
Thilo Kehrer is currently at West Ham United and won the Europa Conference League with the English outfit in 2022/23. Before that, he lifted Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain on three occasions, as well as a handful of other French trophies.
However, he made a name for himself in European football after coming through the Schalke 04 academy to make his Bundesliga debut in 2016. He played 28 league games in 2017/18, scoring three goals and picking up two assists as his side finished second in the Bundesliga.
Joel Matip
Centre-back
What a free signing Joel Matip has proven to be for Liverpool, playing an integral role in one of the Premier League's best defences in recent years. Often starting alongside Virgil van Dijk, the has won everything on offer for the Reds since swapping the Veltins Arena for Anfield.
His move came in 2016 after 256 appearances with Schalke, where he won the DFB-Pokal in 2010/11 and the resulting DFL-Supercup final the following season. Now aged 32, only fitness issues have prevented Matip from gaining more recognition as one of the best defenders in England since his arrival.
Malick Thiaw
Centre-back
Benedikt Howedes once could have been a shout for this spot in the team but the German retired in 2020. So instead, we have picked Malick Thiaw who is a current regular at AC Milan.
The 22-year-old bounced between the likes of Fortuna Düsseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Mönchengladbach as a youth player before joining Schalke 04. He made his first team debut in 2020 and secured a move to Italy just two years later off the back of winning 2. Bundesliga in 2021/22.
Sead Kolašinac
Left-back
In the 2016/17 campaign, Sead Kolašinac beat the likes of Marcel Schmelzer and David Alaba to earn a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season. His quality alerted many big teams and Arsenal soon snapped him up on a free transfer.
He did okay in the Premier League at first, but struggled to establish himself as a reliable first-choice option at left-back and was actually loaned back to Schalke in 2021. Since then he has spent time with Marseille but joined Atalanta in the summer and features regularly for the Italian outfit.
Ivan Rakitić
Central midfield
Ivan Rakitić is one of those vastly underrated players in Europe, who has achieved so much without ever quite getting all the recognition they deserve. After all, he won the treble in 2015 with Barcelona and reached the World Cup final in 2018 with Croatia.
He currently dictates things in the middle of the park for Sevilla, but Schalke were a vital club when it came to truly launching his career. He spent four seasons in Germany after arriving from Basel in 2007.
Leon Goretzka
Central midfield
Leon Goretzka established himself as one of the most talented midfielders in Germany during his time with Schalke, but left for free in 2018. As has been the case for many players over the years, the call from Bayern Munich was too good to turn down.
The German played a vital part in Bayern's treble win under Hansi Flick in 2019/20 and continues to be a reliable player for the Bavarian giants to this day. He is also now one of the more senior players in the national team set-up.
Weston McKennie
Central midfield
Weston McKennie left American club FC Dallas in 2016 and after less than a year with the Schalke academy, he was promoted to the first-team squad. From then on, his displays were good enough to seal a move to Juventus where he remains to this day.
An uninspired loan spell in England last term with Leeds United, who were relegated, might not have helped McKennie's reputation but with Schalke struggling in the second division, a player of his quality would be a welcome addition to the squad right now.
Julian Draxler
Left-wing
An absolute baller in his pomp with Schalke, Julian Draxler looked destined to be one of Germany's finest forwards after bursting onto the European scene and bagging 29 goals and 29 assists in 168 games for the club before moving to VfL Wolfsburg.
This was enough to secure a move to Paris Saint-Germain where he went on to win bucketloads of trophies. He joined Al Ahli in the summer of 2023 and you can't help but feel as though he never quite delivered on his full potential, despite a respectable career.
Breel Embolo
Striker
At his best, Breel Embolo is an excellent striker who uses power and clever movement to regularly get his name on the scoresheet. Like Rakitić, he moved to Die Knappen from Basel and soon caught the eye in Germany, bagging 12 goals and claiming nine assists in 61 outings as a youngster with Schalke.
The forward left Borussia Mönchengladbach after three years and then moved to his current club Monaco in 2022. With 13 goals and 14 assists in 63 games for Switzerland, Embolo has also become a reliable option up top for his nation.
Leroy Sané
Right-wing
Leroy Sané is currently one of the best wingers in the world, tearing it up regularly on the flanks for - you guessed it - Bayern Munich. However, it all started for him at senior level in 2014 with Schalke 04. He scored 13 goals and picked up eight assists in 57 games before moving to Manchester City in 2016.
In England, he won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and Three League cups before returning to the Bundesliga. At Munich, move silverware has followed for the 27-year-old, including the FIFA Club World Cup in 2020.