Satoshi Tanaka is proud to now be a Royal Blue

It was Tanaka’s fellow countryman, Atsuto Uchida, who first drew his attention to the club. The right-back made 153 appearances in all competitions for the Royal Blues between 2010 and 2017, becoming a fan favourite in Gelsenkirchen and also helping the Royal Blues establish a following in Japan.

“As a kid, I used to watch a lot of Schalke games and was fascinated by the club,” Tanaka recalled. “Atsuto Uchida and his teammates were very successful at the time.” The 24-year-old therefore considers it a great honour to now get to don the Schalke shirt himself. His first few weeks at Schalke have been “very positive,” he shared. “My teammates have welcomed me very well and I feel good here.”

Tanaka has already been able to experience some special moments at the VELTINS-Arena in the short time that he’s been at the club. He started the friendly against Atalanta on what was his home debut, before coming off the bench against Real Madrid to collect more valuable playing time.

The midfielder received plenty of praise from the coaching staff and the fans for the intensity and willingness to run hard that he displayed in both friendlies. He has been kept busy with plenty of autograph and selfie requests from the fans during the public training sessions. “Working hard and running a lot are things that I enjoy,” Tanaka said. “The Schalke style is a great fit for me.”