Naldo transfers to AS Monaco

„It was not easy for us to agree to this transfer, because Naldo’s performances have played a huge role in our success stories, especially last season,“ admitted sporting director Christian Heidel. „On account of his services to the club, we agreed to fulfil his wish to change clubs one more time in his career as a professional footballer,“ Heidel explained, before emphasising the following: „Naldo has enriched our club in the past two and a half years: on the pitch as a defensive leader, a team player and a goalscorer. Off the pitch as a person, a top bloke with a big heart, the kind you don’t see every day, not just in football. For this, we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish him nothing but the best in his new challenge.“

Naldo leaves the Royal Blues, but retains a feeling of attachment. “First and foremost, I’d like to thank those responsible for making my transfer to AS Monaco possible,” says the centre-back. “The decision was an extremely difficult one for me, but I have so much drive and I still feel fit enough take on a new challenge in a big league. I will always have fond and fantastic memories of my two and a half years at Schalke, including some big moments. The club and the fans will always have a place in my heart.”

Naldo moved from VfL Wolfsburg to FC Schalke 04 in the summer of 2016. Since then, he has made 79 competitive appearances (nine goals) – 59 in the Bundesliga (eight goals), 11 on the European stage (one goal) and nine in the DFB-Pokal. In this time, the Royal Blues reached the Europa League quarter-finals in the 2016-17 season, were Bundesliga runners-up in 2018, reached the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal and have qualified for the Champions League round of 16 in the current season.