Schalker International: Enrico Olaia

Why did you become a Schalke fan?
I became a fan of the club in 2010, when I was about ten years old. I won my first video game and I fell in love with the colours of the club and the amazing players that were on the team at the time.

Tell us about your page, Schalke 04 Brasil. Why did you decide to start it?
I created Schalke 04 Brasil with the purpose of publicising the club’s daily events, news, matches, transfers and all other interesting goings-on. Today, we have more than 10,000 followers on our social networks, our own website and a team of seven volunteers who are passionate about the club and work daily for us. As well as that, we are always spreading the word about Schalke in Brazil. Fortunately, we have had great success in recent years, which has allowed us to reach a large audience in South America, Portugal and increasingly, we have contact with German fans.

What’s supporting Schalke like in Brazil? Are we popular there?
We have a huge community of fans of the club here in Brazil, and we’ve helped grow that with the work our page does. We’ve been able to promote Schalke within the Brazilian football community thanks to the club taking part in the UEFA Champions League, recent signings and the number of Brazilians in the squad over the years, like Naldo, Rafinha and Lincoln.

Have you ever seen Schalke play?
Unfortunately, I have not yet had the chance to watch a game live, but many members of our community have had this opportunity and some, who now live in Germany, are often present at the VELTINS-Arena to support the team.  I hope that the club will come to play in Brazil soon to celebrate this history and connection between Schalke and Brazilian players.

Who is your all-time favourite Schalke player?
My favourite player and one of the most important in the club’s history is Benedikt Höwedes. His leadership and representation inspired us and served as an example for us to continue to admire the club and, consequently, to work more and more with our portal about the club.

I would like to make an honourable mention to the following players: Naldo, Raúl, Wilmots, Thon and Klaus Fischer.

What’s your favourite memory as a Schalke fan?
My favourite memory as a club fan was for sure the 2017 Revierderby, the historic 4-4.

It was definitely one of the most important days for me as a football fan. In addition, Schalke was the most talked about club that day in the Brazilian football community, which was certainly unusual.

What makes Schalke special?
I grew up watching this club play, following the daily lives of players, fans and the press. The club has been present in my life longer than many of my friends and luckily, it was the reason for me meeting many of my closest friends.

I am now just a fan of Schalke. My passion for the club is stronger than for the Brazilian club I grew up supporting. It’s a difficult feeling to explain, but I know I’ll spend the rest of my life cheering and following the club.

It’s an honour to have spent so much time and to have worked so hard to make my goal of more people following the club possible. I’m sure my relationship with the club will only grow from now on.

Finally, why would you recommend supporting Schalke?
As I said, this club is special. We are talking about one of the biggest clubs in Europe, with a beautiful history that needs to be shared by more and more people.

For people who want to get to know the club better, please do this as soon as possible. Cheering for the club is a carousel of endless emotions, whether good or bad, your love for the club will grow more and more.

Thank you Schalke for being an amazing club and for being a part of more than half of my life. I’m sure we’ll have more and more stories to live and be told.