A Royal-Blue night in Benidorm

All guests were greeted by Christian Heidel, who thanked fans for their support despite the patchy performances in the first half of the Bundesliga season and stressed that what made Schalke so strong was its ability to stick together, even when the times get tough. “I can promise you all one thing. We will do everything we can to be more successful in the second half of the season. The team will be working hard in the coming days and weeks towards this goal,” said the sporting director.

Domenico Tedesco was also full of praise for the fans’ support. “It really encourages us,” said the head coach, talking to a few faces he knew well. “I’ve got to know a lot of you personally in the last year and a half at our training sessions,” said the 33-year-old who, like Heidel, also promised to give his all to ensure a strong performance over the second half of the season. Both men said the foundations for that would be hard work.

Only joy was to be seen at the Royal Blue night, however. Captain Ralf Fährmann and his teammates mingled amongst the fans, and discussed sporting and other topics with the supporters, whilst also posing for photos and signing autographs. At the end of the evening, a really special photo was taken, showing all the players together amongst the fans – one for the memories.