Justin Heekeren: I dreamt of it as a young boy

Justin Heekeren on…

…his contract extension:
I’m extremely happy at Schalke, so I’m pleased to be staying beyond this current season. I want to put in good performances to help us win as many games as possible to get the club back to where it belongs in the future. My aim in the coming years is to become a real poster boy for the club.

…a childhood dream come true:
As a young boy, I dreamt of playing in goal for my favourite club at the VELTINS-Arena. I’m so incredibly proud that my dream has become reality now. During my first year as a professional at Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, I probably would have given someone a slap if they’d told me that I’d be the first-choice goalkeeper at Schalke in five years’ time (laughs).

…the group of goalkeepers at Schalke:
We’ve got a healthy competition for places between us. We all get on really well and push each other to be better. Everyone gives their best in training to impress. I’m happy that the coach chose me as the number 1. I want to pay back his faith every week with good performances.

…back-to-back clean sheets:
I’m pleased that we’ve not conceded a goal in two consecutive matches. Despite that, with the greatest of respect to Ulm and Regensburg, we cannot forget who our opponents were. Our goal is to keep up this run of not conceding.

…the upcoming away game in Hamburg:
I’ve personally never been to the Volksparkstadion, not as a player or as a fan. I’m therefore really looking forward to it. HSV are a really tough opponent, but this is the kind of game that every footballer gets excited about.

…the fixture list before the winter break:
Our full focus at the moment is on the game in Hamburg. We’ll then start thinking about the next match after that. We obviously want to get as many points as we can.