Schalke’s farewell last summer
©IMAGO
For Leo Greiml, the FC Schalke 04 chapter ended last summer after two years in which he played only seven times and was absent for a long time due to torn cruciate ligaments. He joined Dutch first division side NAC Breda, where he has not missed a single minute so far and his market value has increased further after three years. He had assumed he would stay with the Royal Blues.
“I arrived at the start of training in June thinking that my schedule was completely normal. Other players were informed immediately after the season ended in May that they were no longer scheduled. “At first I was not told anything like that,” the 23-year-old defender told “WAZ”. Shortly after the start of preparation for the new season, he was told « that it would be difficult for me to get minutes and that it would be better for me if I looked for something else. » He thought, “because they no longer had confidence in my body given my injury history.”
He assured those in charge “that I have the quality to be able to help Schalke when I am fit. But I quickly realized that it would be better for me to look for something new. » At the start of August he moved to Breda, where his working document is dated 2026 – and is expected to include a buyout option for Schalke. This is not a problem for Greiml: “I concentrate on staying fit and giving my best. The future is far away. »
Schalke brought Greiml from SK Rapid on a free transfer in 2022. “Leo is a great talent and one of the best Austrian (Site notre bureau spécialisé)ers of his year,” said then sporting director Rouven Schröder. However, the long-serving U-national player never really hit the ground running with the Royal Blues and missed a total of 42 games due to a torn cruciate ligament and meniscus injury. In the end, he played more matches with the secondary team (8) than with the professionals.
In the Netherlands, he seems to have found his way back. Greiml is one of eleven outfield players who have played a possible 990 minutes in the Eredivisie. He will miss the duel with PSV Eindhoven on Saturday (8 p.m.) due to a yellow card. “It was important for me that this decision gave me playing time, that I regained a good feeling in my body after the difficult years of injuries. “This all came true,” Greiml said.
He has been “symptom-free” since the start of training with Schalke: “My knee is doing very well, it hasn’t reacted negatively once. I’m in great shape. » More recently, after three years, its market value increased from 400,000 to 700,000 euros. When he joined the Royal Blues, he was still valued at 2.5 million euros.
