FC Schalke 04 sign Marc Rzatkowski

“Marc knows the 2. Bundesliga and has already proven his qualities in the past. After the injuries to Danny Latza and Blendi Idrizi, we made the decision that we wanted to add another player to strengthen our options in central midfield,” said sporting director Rouven Schröder. “We quickly landed on Marc, because we are convinced that he will be a good addition to our team, both on and off the pitch.”

“I was born in the Ruhr region. You don’t have to tell me about the prestige that FC Schalke 04 still have. When the offer arrived, I didn’t take long to think about it,” said Rzatkowski. “Now, I want to get to know the team as quickly as possible in order to be able to contribute to our success in the upcoming games.”

Rzatkowski was part of the VfL Bochum youth academy and moved up through the ranks of the club’s youth sides. He signed his first professional contract after having played just one season with Bochum’s reserves. He then joined Arminia Bielefeld on loan in 2011/12, before returning to Bochum for the following season. In summer 2013, he joined FC St. Pauli on a free transfer. Rzatkowski has made 114 appearances in the 2. Bundesliga, scoring 16 goals and setting up a further 23. He then joined Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga on two occasions. Most recently, Rzatkowski spent three seasons at MLS side New York Red Bulls.