When goalkeeper Alexander Nübel left FC Schalke 04 in 2020 and signed a contract with FC Bayern Munich, the reaction from Schalke fans was unanimous. The Paderborn-born keeper was met with pure incomprehension and sometimes even hatred.

In Gelsenkirchen she had expected that Nübel would have remained loyal to the club for a little longer. And if he did move, then please don't move to the 'hated Bayern', as Schalke's former cult keeper Manuel Neuer had done a few years earlier.

When it became clear relatively quickly after his move to the Isar that Nübel would not be able to play in Munich and Neuer would remain number one there, a wave of gloating from the Ruhr area broke out over the former Schalke player who had turned away herein.

Nübel, whose considerable self-confidence seemed to have been massively dampened when Bayern initially loaned him to AS Monaco in the French league for two years after a few restless weeks and only one appearance in the Bundesliga, looked like a pitiful loser who, Contrary to the advice of his advisor, he would have actually stayed at Schalke for a while. The disgruntled fans of the Royal Blues, they clearly seemed to be right up to this point.

Even after returning from Monaco, those responsible at Bayern still saw no room for the talented keeper in their goal. The next loan for Nübel follows. This time he went to VfB Stuttgart. Nübel immediately delivered strong performances there, so his loan there was recently extended again.

The goalkeeper has now even played his way into the national team circle for last year's runner-up and has long been accepted and valued in Munich as a legitimate successor to the local top dog, Manuel Neuer. No one there laughs at the once-mocked Nübel anymore.

This evening, the ex-Schalke player can play against Juventus Turin in the UEFA Champions League with his VfB Stuttgart and compete with the very best at premier league level.

And Schalke? They are now bobbing around in the lowlands of the second German league, fighting for sporting and economic survival. Next up for the Gelsenkirchen team is a duel with SpVgg Greuther Fürth on Saturday afternoon.

Classic case of “who laughs last” it seems!

Similar posts: