Ron Schallenberg: It’s not something I take for granted

It was a special evening for Ron Schallenberg. S04’s 5-3 home win over 1. FC Magdeburg on Saturday night (21/2) not only delivered plenty of drama – it also came with a welcome side effect for the defensive midfielder.

Ron Schallenberg claps the fans during the warm-up

By featuring in that thrilling win at the VELTINS-Arena – his 22nd appearance after 23 matchdays this season – Schallenberg’s contract at FC Schalke 04 was automatically extended until 2027. “I’m really pleased about that. It was a personal goal I worked towards all season,” explained the 27-year-old. “It’s not something I take for granted.” The only game Schallenberg missed, the match at Fortuna Düsseldorf in early December, was because of a knock. He thanked the staff for their excellent work.

Conceding three goals isn’t what we’re about.

Ron Schallenberg

The contract extension was capped off by a goal-laden home victory. “For the fans, it was definitely a good watch, and I’m really happy we scored five,” said the holding midfielder. “But the balance wasn’t right today – we have to be honest about that. We allowed too many chances.” Magdeburg hit back less than two minutes after the Royal Blues’ early opener, and later on, the visitors kept cutting the deficit, pulling it back to 3-2 and then 5-3. “We want to get back to our defensive foundations quickly – conceding three goals isn’t what we’re about.”

Focus turns to Fürth

The 27-year-old is confident the team will soon find the right balance again. Taking more risks going forward could come at the expense of defensive stability, but he stressed that repeating the basics time and again is what matters – and that’s why he isn’t worried. The focus now immediately shifts to the next task: S04 are away at SpVgg Greuther Fürth next Saturday (28/2), with kick-off at 20:30 CET. Schallenberg is already looking forward to it – just as he is to another year in Royal Blues colours.

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