Schalker International: Wajih Mhanna

When and why did you become a Schalke fan?
I become a Schalke fan when I was 7 years old. I used to love the colour blue so I watched a Schalke match on the TV and I’ve supported Schalke ever since. I chose a team from Germany because I used to love the German national team and therefore wanted to support a German team.

What’s supporting Schalke like in Lebanon?
Supporting Schalke in Lebanon is quite special because Schalke aren’t a big club like Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Are there many Schalke fans in Lebanon?
I don’t know of any other Schalke fans in Lebanon. Most people here just choose to support teams which are always winning.

What’s your most memorable Schalke match?
My most memorable game was that derby against Dortmund. I was playing a football match at the time and my friends were all laughing at me at half-time when we saw it was 4-0. It was such a great feeling to find out that we had drawn 4-4 after my match thanks to Naldo’s legendary header!

Have you ever been to Germany or the VELTINS-Arena?
Yes, I’ve been to the VELTINS-Arena once. I saw us beat 1. FSV Mainz 05 3-0 back in 2016 – Nabil Bentaleb scored twice. The Arena was so beautiful and it was extremely loud too!

Who is your favourite all-time Schalke player?
My favourite all-time Schalke player is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar because he’s scored so many beautiful goals for Schalke. 

What do you love about the club? What makes S04 special?
I love everything about Schalke. The fans, the players and of course our mascot Erwin. The fans make Schalke special because they live for the club and back them all game to help us win. 

Finally, why would you recommend supporting Schalke?
I would recommend supporting Schalke because Schalke is different – it’s like a family.