Schalke farewell last summer
©IMAGO
For Leo Greiml, the FC Schalke 04 chapter ended last summer after two years in which he only played seven times and was out for a long time with a torn cruciate ligament. He moved to the Dutch first division team NAC Breda, where he has not missed a single minute and has increased his market value again after three years. He had assumed that he would stay with the Royal Blues.
“I came to the start of training in June with the thought that my planning was completely normal. Other players were informed immediately after the end of the season in May that they were no longer scheduled. “At first nothing like that was said to me,” the 23-year-old defender told “WAZ”. Shortly after the start of preparation for the new season, he was informed “that it would be difficult for me to get minutes and that it would be best for me if I looked for something else”. He thought, “because they no longer had confidence in my body given my injury history.”
He had assured those responsible “that I have the quality to be able to help Schalke when I am fit. But I quickly found out that it would be better for me if I looked for something new.” At the beginning of August he moved to Breda, where his working paper is dated until 2026 – and should include a buyback option for Schalke. That’s not an issue for Greiml: “I’m concentrating on staying fit and performing at my best. The future is a long way off.”
Schalke brought Greiml from SK Rapid on a free transfer in 2022. “Leo is a great talent and one of the best Austrian footballers of his year,” said the then sports director Rouven Schröder. However, the long-time U-national player never really caught on with the Royal Blues and missed a total of 42 games due to a torn cruciate ligament and a meniscus injury. In the end, he played more games for the second team (8) than for the professionals.
In the Netherlands he seems to have found his way back on track. Greiml is one of eleven outfield players who have played all 990 possible minutes in the Eredivisie. He will miss the duel with PSV Eindhoven on Saturday (8 p.m.) due to a yellow card suspension. “It was important to me that the move gave me playing time, that I got a good feeling for my body again after the difficult years with injuries. “All of this has come true,” said Greiml.
He has been “symptom-free” since the start of training with Schalke: “My knee is doing great, it hasn’t reacted negatively once. I’m in great shape.” Most recently, after three years, he recorded an increase in market value from 400,000 to 700,000 euros. When he moved to the Royal Blues, he was still valued at 2.5 million euros.
