Schalke 04 have just secured their first Bundesliga point after a three-year absence, and against none other than reigning champions Bayern Munich. The goalless draw brought an end to Bayern’s 59-match scoring streak and while Loris Karius starred with a Man of the Match performance, Robin Gosens, having completed a summer move to his boyhood club, wore his heart on his sleeve with a commanding display.
“We have, I think, with our defensive performance, worked for these points today and done so together,” Gosens told the official Bundesliga website. “And that makes me very proud, to be honest.”
Casting his memory back to his early career, Gosens described what the Royal Blues means to him. “Everything started for me with Schalke,” he explained. “I was born in the Lower Rhine area and wasn’t bothered about football for a while. My godfather then decided he’d take me to the stadium. I walked up the steps here at the stadium, looked out over the pitch, and something happened within me; something changed.
“It was like magic. The next day I signed up at a football club and, from then on, the ball was my best friend. So, I grew up through Schalke and am forever grateful to Schalke, because it gave me a passion for football. It’s given me a strong emotional connection. I’ve remained a fan and now get to live this dream myself, not just looking down from above but being out on the pitch as a player. It gives me an amazing feeling to enjoy this full-circle moment.”
Next up, Schalke face Union Berlin, one of Gosens’ former clubs. If the Ruhr club are to remain in the division, these are the teams they have to be winning. And the 32-year-old believes that they can do so. “The way we play, fight and show willingness to fight and die for this shirt will be important to make sure we’ve always got the fans on board. I think we have the quality to stay in the Bundesliga and then stabilise ourselves there,” he told Bundesliga.com.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
