Matthias Tillmann: Even more excited for the start of the new season now

Matthias Tillmann:

It was nice to see that so many fans came to the club’s grounds today. The Berger Feld is finally in Schalke hands again after hosting lots of people from around the world for EURO 2024 and Taylor Swift concerts. They were also great and we were proud to host those events, but seeing the Schalke fans here again was fun and it makes us even more excited for the start of the new season and all that’s to come over the next few weeks and months.

I don’t really want to have to pick out a highlight because the whole programme was superbly organised, but given the rebuild we’ve had, it was nice to see how many new faces were on the stage when we presented the team. Our new home kit was also really well received, so I was pleased about that too. Ultimately though, the best thing was seeing how many people turned up and are excited for the new season – that’s personally my biggest highlight.

I think the togetherness is what makes ‘Schalke Day’ so special. It allows people to come into contact with the players, get autographs from them and take pictures with them. It’s important for us that we remain accessible for the fans. Not everybody is able to come to the stadium for games, but this day allows the whole Schalke family to come together and experience it all for free. I think it’s a huge opportunity.

Kenan Karaman:

Thank you to all the fans that came today, it means a lot to us and it’s really, really important. We’ve got a young and hungry group of lads, who have worked hard during pre-season and we can sense that something is growing here. We’ve signed some really good players and they’re all good guys too. I’m confident that better times are coming. Everyone is really excited for the new season. 60,000 fans under the floodlights to start the campaign off, not much more needs to be said – we’ll simply be ready to attack!

Amin Younes:

Being part of this today was incredible. I’ve played for a few big clubs in my career, but I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s simply amazing and unique. Seeing how much Schalke means to people just gives you goosebumps at times. You can sense the energy they have for the club. That energy gives us a good feeling and motivates us for the new season.

MOGUAI:

I’ve always been connected to Schalke and we’ve done a lot of things together, like launching a kit at Tomorrowland or Parookaville. It’s not too far for me to come and I’m really surprised and happy that everything worked so well because I was extremely nervous beforehand. It’s a completely different crowd to what I’m used to at festivals. There was a great atmosphere here at the fan day and there was a lot on offer for the supporters.