Could Jupp Heynckes be coaching Schalke 04 next season

At FC Bayern Munich, head coach Jupp Heynckes will be replaced by Spaniard Pep Guardiola in the new season and the 67 year old has said nothing about the fact if this will have been his last coaching assignment or if he would continue elsewhere.

Now a rumour has come out in the German media that Jupp Heynckes is a hot candidate to be the next FC Schalke 04 coach in the new season. Heynckes has not denied the rumour which could take him back for a second stint at Schalke, whom he unsuccessfully coached in the 2003/04 season.

Currently under their interim coach Jens Keller the royal blues have not been playing their best Bundesliga season with the qualification for the UEFA Champions League in danger, which the club management feels is a must.

In an illustrious coaching career since 1979 Heynckes has coached Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC Bayern Munich, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, CD Tenerife, Real Madrid, Benfica Lisboa, FC Schalke 04 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

VIDEO: Interview with new Tottenham signing Lewis Holtby

Germany Under-21 international captain Lewis Holtby decided a few weeks ago that in the summer he would end his time at FC Schalke 04 to join EPL side Tottenham Hotspurs. Now in a quick decision Holtby was transferred in the winter break and here his first interview with SpursTV.

Raul set to join Qatari side Al-Sadd

Former Spanish international striker Raúl González Blanco, better known as Raul, has signed a one year contract with Qatari side Al-Sadd SC, the champions of the 2011 AFC Champions League in Asia. Raul has left Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 after two seasons in the German top tier.

The Qatar Football Association said on Sunday that the Doha-based club had signed the 34-year-old former Real Madrid and Spain captain on a one-year deal, but further details were released.

Schalke 04 had made an offer to Raul to extend his contract, but the striker had decided to leave Europe and play in a developing league with Qatar always seen as his preference also due to the salary which he would receive in the Middle East.

Raul was a fan favourite at Schalke, scoring 27 goals in 63 Bundesliga matches. When Raul announced he would leave German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 it was an emotional affair after two years at the Ruhr valley club ( Raul to leave Schalke at end of season ).

Raul to leave Schalke at end of season

Former Spanish international striker Raúl González Blanco, better known as Raul, is set to leave Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 after two seasons in the German top tier. Raul did not disclose where he will be playing next season though saying that he has two offers from outside of Europe which he is considering at the moment.

"My playing future is not in Europe," Raul said at a press conference in Gelsenkirchen today. Raul went on to say that he's reached an age (turns 35 in June) in which playing in Europe's top leagues is demanding on the body and he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Raul did say that the league he picks will not be as strong as European leagues. It is being speculated that he will join Al Ahli Doha of Qatar, who are said to have made him an offer of 9 Million Euros.

The royal blues as Schalke 04 are known did make Raul an offer to extend his contract, but the Spaniard decided to end his stint in Gelsenkirchen after two successful seasons in which he scored 27 goals in 63 Bundesliga matches, won the German Cup last season and also reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Currently Schalke are in third position and set to qualify for the UEFA Champions League again.

"They were two wonderful years that I will always bear in my heart. I was able to do what I like doing the best: playing, playing, playing," an emotional Raul said. "I also have to give the fans a special thanks for their affection and respect!"

Schalke Director of Sports and Managing Director Horst Heldt said Raul would get a farewell match in 2013, likely against a Spanish club which in an ideal case would be Real Madrid, and that Schalke would retire his No. 7 jersey for the time being.

The former Real Madrid club captain has been playing for the royals since joining them from city rivals Atletico Madrid in 1992. And he is the club's all-time highest goalscorer with 323 goals in 741 matches. He also happens to be the highest goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League with 71 goals. Also Raul has played 102 times for Spain scoring 44 goals, which was a record before David Villa went past the mark.

Bundesliga Column - Round 31: Derby win propels Dortmund closer to title

Round 31 of the 2011/12 Bundesliga season was about derbies in the west and the north of the country. While Dortmund won 2-1 away to Schalke to close in on defending their Bundesliga title, Mönchengladbach trashed FC Cologne 3-0 to keep their direct Champions League qualification hopes alive while Cologne's relegation worries grew even further and Hamburger SV scored a vital win against Hannover 96 in their fight to avoid relegation.

Borussia Dortmund just three days after winning against FC Bayern Munich had to dig deep to beat archrivals FC Schalke 2-1 in a closely contested Ruhr valley derby. With Bayern Munich only drawing goalless against 1.FSV Mainz 05 this derby win puts Dortmund eight points clear at the top with three matches to go and now remaining undefeated in their 25 straight game setting a new Bundesliga record.

In the race to avoid relegation Kaiserlautern are just one point away to confirm their 2.Bundesliga status next season. Another loss, this time 0-2 against 1.FC Nürnberg didn't help their cause. But Hertha BSC Berlin, who are in 17th place, fought back from two goals down against Bayer 04 Leverkusen to even go 3-2 ahead but they had to settle for a 3-3 draw which in their situation isn't enough.

FC Cologne went into the Rhine derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach under a new interim coach in Frank Schaefer, but they lost 0-3 to stay in the relegation playoff spot. But the gap to the teams above them widened then Hamburger SV won at home against Hannover 96, while FC Augsburg scored a surprise 2-1 away win to VfL Wolfsburg.

The Bundesliga title looks decided, the first relegated team is also clear but everything else is to play for with three rounds of matches remaining.


Round 31 Results

VfB Stuttgart 4-1 SV Werder Bremen
FC Schalke 04 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Hamburger SV 1-0 Hannover 96
1.FC Kaiserslautern 0-2 1.FC Nürnberg
VfL Wolfsburg 1-2 FC Augsburg
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3-3 Hertha BSC Berlin
FC Bayern München 0-0 1.FSV Mainz 05
Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 1.FC Köln
SC Freiburg 0-0 1899 Hoffenheim

FC Schalke's goalkeeper injury jinx

German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 are facing a rare goalkeeper injury jinx this season with Timo Hildebrand being their third goalkeeper to be hit by a serious injury. Hildebrand picked-up an elbow injury while conceding the first goal in his clubs 2-4 Europa League defeat against Athletic Bilbao and had to be substituted at half-time.

How long 32 year old Hildebrand will have to sit out is not unknown, but 35 year old Mathias Schober is now the fourth goalkeeper to be in action for the royal blues with one of the Schalke 04 II keepers set to sit on the bench in Sunday's match against Hoffenheim.

Last summer Manuel Neuer had left Schalke with 23 year old Ralf Fährmann, who returned to S04 from Eintracht Frankfurt, being made the clubs new number one. But Fährmann would suffer a crucial ligament injury bringing in 21 year old Lars Unnerstall who himself would suffer a shoulder injury (acromioclavicular blast) and then on Thursday goalkeeper number three Timo Hildebrand followed with the elbow injury.

While the return of Fährmann and Hildebrand is unknown, Unnerstall has returned to first team training and might be back in action in 10 to 14 days which would ease the goalkeeping pressure on the club.

Bundesliga Column - Round 27: The Relegation Battle intensifies

Round 27 of the 2011/12 Bundesliga season saw a number of teams in the relegation zone win, which has put pressure on teams above them then out of the earlier four now eight, maybe even nine clubs could be fighting to stay in the league until the end of the season.

Especially the incredible runs from FC Augsburg and SC Freiburg, who a few weeks ago seemed doomed for relegation has surprised many while other clubs like 1.Kaiserslautern, Hertha BSC Berlin, Hamburger SV and FC Cologne have not been picking-up enough points.

Bulgarian Krassimir Balakov made his debut as the new coach at bottom side 1.FC Kaiserslautern. Balakov happens to be a former Bundesliga star at Stuttgart and knows the league well, but he only joined midweek from Croatian side Hajduk Split. He couldn't do much as Lautern lost 0-2 in Freiburg against an inform side who moved into 13th spot.

Another inform side Augsburg needed an injury time equaliser against Bremen to continue their unbeaten run, while Hertha BSC scored a crucial win away to Mainz though staying on an automatic relegation spot. But the worry of the league are Hamburg and Cologne who suffered more defeats. While Hamburg has now lost four matches in a row, Cologne were trashed 6-1 by champions Dortmund.

For Dortmund the 6-1 win against Cologne on Sunday was crucial then Bayern Munich had closed the gap to just two points after their hard-earned 2-1 win against Hannover 96. The title race is one as both sides keep the momentum going, while Schalke moved into third spot with a 2-0 win against Leverkusen, while Mönchengladbach lost to Hoffenheim as they did not overcome their midweek German Cup blues.


Round 27 Results

VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 Hamburger SV
1.FSV Mainz 05 1-3 Hertha BSC Berlin
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 1899 Hoffenheim
FC Bayern München 2-1 Hannover 96
SV Werder Bremen 1-1 FC Augsburg
SC Freiburg 2-0 1.FC Kaiserslautern
FC Schalke 04 2-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
VfB Stuttgart 1-0 1.FC Nürnberg
1.FC Köln 1-6 Borussia Dortmund

Deloitte Football Money League: Real Madrid top once more!

The Deloitte Football Money League 2010/11 has been released with Spanish giants Real Madrid topping the league table of the world's 20 highest earning football clubs for the seventh straight year, according to auditing firm Deloitte.

For the first time the combined revenues of the 20 biggest football clubs in the world has crossed the 4 billion Euros mark and now stands at 4,3 billion Euros an increase of 8,3 percent with all these clubs coming out of Europe. England remains the most represented with six out of the top 20 clubs from the Premier League, five from Italy, four from Germany, three from Spain plus two from France.

Once more Spain's big two are the highest revenue earners in world football. Though playing second fiddle to FC Barcelona in the Spanish league and on the European stage Real Madrid have been able to increase their revenues by 40.9 million Euros from the previous season to now an impressive 479,5 million Euros with Barca 28,8 million Euros behind. But the Catalans could once more close the gap over their archrivals.

German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 are the biggest movers as they move from 16th place into the Top 10 for the first time due to their UEFA Champions League semifinal appearance and winning the German Cup as their budget rose from 139,8 to 202,4 million Euros.

Atlético de Madrid, VfB Stuttgart and Aston Villa dropped out of the Top 20; while Borussia Dortmund, FC Valencia and SSC Napoli entered this elite group of football clubs.


Deloitte Football Money League - 2009/2010 Top 20

01. (01) Real Madrid 479,5 million Euros
02. (02) FC Barcelona 450,7 million Euros
03. (03) Manchester United 367,0 million Euros
04. (04) FC Bayern Munich 321,4 million Euros
05. (05) FC Arsenal London 251,1 million Euros
06. (06) FC Chelsea London 249,8 million Euros
07. (07) AC Milan 235,1 million Euros
08. (09) Inter Milan 211,4 million Euros
09. (08) FC Liverpool 203,3 million Euros
10. (16) FC Schalke 04 202,4 million Euros
11. (12) Tottenham Hotspurs 181,0 million Euros
12. (11) Manchester City 169,6 million Euros
13. (10) Juventus Torino 153,9 million Euros
14. (15) Olympique Marseille 150,4 million Euros
15. (18) AS Roma 143,5 million Euros
16. (--) Borussia Dortmund 138,5 million Euros
17. (14) Olympique Lyonnais 132,8 million Euros
18. (13) Hamburger SV 128,8 million Euros
19. (--) FC Valencia 116,8 million Euros
20. (--) SSC Napoli 114,9 million Euros

Bundesliga: A Four-way title race

Over the weekend the German Bundesliga returned to action after a four week winter break. And Round 18 started off with a big bang to open-up the title race with now four clubs with a chance of winning the title.

The second-leg of the Bundesliga opened on Friday evening with a classic Borussia Mönchengladbach vs FC Bayern Munich game. Bayern Munich came into the game as winter champions, but Mönchengladbach's young turks showed the Bavarians what they are made off as Gladbach went on to win 3-1 on the night.

On Saturday FC Schalke 04 followed with a 3-1 win against VfB Stuttgart and then Borussia Dortmund demolished Hamburger SV 5-1 away to make it a successful start in 2012 for the three west German clubs chasing the mighty Bavarians.

After match day 18 the top four teams are only divided by one point. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke all have 37 points, while Borussia Mönchengladbach is fourth on 36 points. But Bayern remain top of the league with a superior goal difference.

The Bundesliga has had interesting two or three-way races for the title, but never ever has it experienced such a four-way race. One will have to see how things pan out in the weeks to come, if Bayern Munich slip further or if they can regain their form and keep their rivals at a distance. Then one thing remains the same - the title favourites are Bayern Munich.

Huub Stevens returns to Schalke 04

German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 have appointed Dutchman Huub Stevens as their new coach following last weeks surprise resignation of Ralf Rangnick due to burnout.

Stevens returns to Gelsenkirchen for a second stint with the royal blues after having coached them between October 1996 and June 2002. During his nearly six years in-charge Stevens won the UEFA Cup in 1997, the biggest success in the history of the Ruhr valley club. Since then Stevens is a fan favourite and they look forward in getting their old coach back.

"I've worked here for six years, it's not just any club," said Stevens on Tuesday at a press conference to announce his return.

"Once Schalke, always Schalke - I am happy to be back here," he added which sums up the mood at the club.

Before coming to Schalke in 1996 Stevens had coached the PSV Eindhoven Under-19s, Roda JC Kerkrade. After leaving Schalke he worked for Hertha BSC Berlin, 1.FC Cologne, Roda JC Kerkrade, Hamburger SV, PSV Eindhoven and Red Bull Salzburg.

A elated Director of Sports Horst Heldt said, "We said, during these difficult times, let's bring Huub Stevens back home."

"I have noticed the fire is still burning in him."

"He can tell you much more about Schalke than I know myself," Heldt added on a lighter.

Stevens first match in-charge will be on Thursday against Maccabi Haifa in the UEFA Europa League. The club will hope for quieter times under a coach who knows the difficult surroundings.


Here last weeks report on Schalke: Coach Rangnick resigns due to exhaustion .

Schalke: Coach Rangnick resigns due to exhaustion

In a surprise move FC Schalke 04 coach Ralf Rangnick has resigned from his position as head coach due to health reasons. Rangnick took the unusual step due to an exhaustion syndrome due to which he is currently unable to muster the strength and energy to coach the club.

In a statement the 53 year old Ralf Rangnick said, "After a long and mature consideration I decided that I needed a break. This decision is very hard but my current energy level is not sufficient to be successful and especially to further develop the team."

Only six months ago in March 2011 Rangnick had replaced Felix Magath at Schalke 04 with the clubs management hoping Rangnick would rebuild the team after the turbulent times under Magath. Rangnick went on to win the German Cup and reach the semifinals of the UEFA Champions league last season. At the start of this season things have been going fine and this news will come as a big shock for Schalke.

"His decision deserves respect," said Schalke Director of Sports Horst Heldt. "We also believe that health should be put above any professional targets and challenges."

Schalke 04 have named assistant coach Seppo Eichkorn as the interim coach for Saturday's match against SC Freiburg, while the search for a new coach would likely start after a board meeting this afternoon.

One can only wish Ralf Rangnick a speedy recovery, then 'the professor' is one of the most knowledgeable German coaches of today.

Manuel Neuer return to Schalke today

Later today in the German Bundesliga FC Schalke 04 host FC Bayern Munich in the final match of Round 6. Matches between the royal blues and the Bavarians are always high tension games, but today's encounter has special significance as it marks the first return of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to Gelsenkirchen after he left the club in the summer for Munich.

The 25 year old Gelsenkirchen born footballer had until the summer played only for one club (FC Schalke 04) all his career. Neuer symbolized what Schalke stands for - coming from a working class city; fighting spirit counts more then quality, technical football, a loyal fan base. But Germany's number one also realised that for his international career to progress he had to move on. Neuer was clear he did not want to move outside of Germany with offers from top English Premier League on offer at the time. So very few options remained for Neuer and with Bayern Munich searching for a new goalkeeper both sides worked out a deal.

Neuer's arrival in Munich has not been smooth either as Bayern fans initially were against him, but only one goal conceded in all competitions (Bundesliga, German Cup, Champions League) so far have shown what quality Neuer along with the new defenders bring to Bayern Munich.

Now he returns home to the Arena auf Schalke and it will be interesting to see how the Schalke fans react to their lost son. Schalke captain Benedikt Höwedes has called on the Schalke fans to be fair to Neuer especially for what he has done for the club. Will the fans listen?

But the match not only marks the return of Manuel Neuer to Schalke, but also that of right back Rafinha. The Brazilian had to leave Schalke last season for FC Genoa 93 after then coach Felix Magath didn't want to keep him, now he is back in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

Schalke's Europa League match shifted to Cluj

Last year UEFA Champions League semifinalists FC Schalke 04 will have to play their first UEFA Europa League match against Steaua Bucharest in Cluj and not in the Romanian capital as the grass pitch in the newly opened National Stadium was left totally damaged following Tuesday's Euro2012 qualifier between Romania and France.

The grass pitch was newly laid and due to the match did not have the chance to get properly match ready. European football governing body UEFA had two options for the game, 1. move to game to Cluj or 2. delay the match by a week and play on September 21 in Bucharest, then until then a new grass pitch would have been brought in from the Netherlands and rolled out at the venue.

UEFA decided to go with the first option and not delay the match by a week as requested by Steaua Bucharest as they miss out on the home advantage in the game, but even Schalke was willing to wait for a week as they understood the logistical nightmare waiting for both sides due to the change of host city.

Interestingly the new National Stadium in Bucharest will be the hosts of the final of the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League finals on May 9, 2012. Until then the Romanians have enough time to sort out their pitch problems.

German Super Cup: Schalke 04 win on penalties

The German Cup holders FC Schalke 04 beat bitter Ruhr valley rivals Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga champions, 4-3 in a penalty shootout to win the first official trophy of the 2011/12 season, the German Super Cup last night.

The match was played at the Arena auf Schalke infront of a sellout crowds of 61,673 with new Schalke number one Ralf Faehrmann the unlikely hero as he saved two penalties in the shootout from Dortmund's Kevin Grosskreutz and Ivan Perisic, while Schalke scored all their four needed penalties.

In the 90 minutes earlier Dortmund looked the more polished of the two sides, but they simply couldn't score of their numerous chances as Faehrmann made some great saves to keep Schalke in the match. While the first half mostly belonged to Dortmund, in the second session the royal blues did have some chances of their own. It remained goalless and as it is usual in the Super Cup after 90 minutes the match went straight into penalties.

In the shootout 22 year old Faehrmann, who only returned this summer from Eintracht Frankfurt to Schalke to be the new number one for Manuel Neuer who has left for Bayern Munich, showed composure and the coolness to deny Dortmund their first piece of silverware this season.


Here the video highlights from the 2011 German Super Cup

Jens Lehmann set for Schalke 04 return?

Former German international goalkeeper Jens Lehmann could make his second comeback in months at the age of 41 with another former club in FC Schalke 04 after he had come out of retirement for FC Arsenal London in March 2011.

Schalke last week confirmed the signing of 23 year old Ralf Faehrmann as their new number one to replace Manuel Neuer who has left the club for FC Bayern Munich. Now the club is in search for the right keeper as number two behind the young Faehrmann. There the club stumbled upon the name of their former keeper Jens Lehmann.

Lehmann had retired in summer 2010 after ending a two year stint with Stuttgart, but made a comeback for Arsenal on request from coach Arsene Wenger, who at the time had numerous keepers out injured. Lehmann only played a game for Arsenal, but is still interested to play rather retire for good.

The Essen born Lehmann had played in his youth for DJK Heisingen, Schwarz-Weiß Essen and FC Schalke 04 before he made his first team breakthrough for the royal blues. He thereafter went on to play for AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, FC Arsenal and VfB Stuttgart.

But Manuel Neuer doesn't think it would the right step by Schalke. Neuer told German tabloid Bild, "Lehmann was one of my favourite goalkeepers together with Edwin van der Sar. However, I have to be honest. I do not think that it would work out well if he joins Schalke. I would advise Schalke to have faith in Mathias Schober. He has been at Schalke for several years and has a lot of experience."

Schalke 04 trash Duisburg, win German Cup

FC Schalke 04 ended their mixed season on a high with a 5-0 win against Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr area/district) rivals MSV Duisburg in the German Cup - DFB Pokal. The second division side were never really an opponent for their local Bundesliga rivals who won their fifth German Cup title.

Infront of a sellout 75,708 spectators at Berlin's Olympic Stadium it initially was an open game, but Schalke teenager Julian Draxler gave the royal blues an 18th minute lead with a lovely left-footer and four minutes later Dutch international striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would double the lead with a nice strike off a brilliant Jefferson Farfan pass.

Thereafter Duisburg came into the game, but the second division side couldn't utilise their few chances through Sahan and Schaeffler with Schalke sealing the game in their favour in the 42nd minute when defender Benedikt Hoewedes headed in a corner.

After the break Schalke mainly controlled the game and added two more goals to finish 5-0. In the 55th minute Jose Manuel Jurado placed the ball nicely past MSV keeper David Yelldell off a pass from Huntelaar, while Huntelaar himself scored his teams fifth in the 70th minute after a defensive error.

"We played with great concentration and in the end it was, thank God, a clear result," said Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick. "It's great to end the season with the title. We're proud of the club."

For former Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez led the celebrations with a Spanish flag and his trademark bullfighting routine and the 33-year-old said after the game, "I had to come to Germany to win the cup. I'm very proud and happy to have won it. This must be celebrated. We're back in Europe."

Germany's Manuel Neuer much sought after

Manuel Neuer is one of the hottest properties in the transfer market. Te German international goalkeeper has confirmed he will not be renewing his contract with FC Schalke 04, but still has not confirmed he will sign for German giants FC Bayern Munich.

It looks it is only an issue of the transfer fee which Schalke is trying to push upwards with Neuer again and again playing brilliantly, the latest such performance came yesterday evening against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga still Schalke lost 1-4.

But it seems English clubs haven't lost hope in trying to lure Neuer to the Premier League. There is said to be an offer in the region of 27 Million Euros from Manchester United on the cards though Schalke has denied any contact with their UEFA Champions League rivals and Alex Ferguson is said to be looking elsewhere for a replacement for retiring Edwin van der Sar, while the latest interest is said to come from FC Arsenal London and their coach Arsene Wenger.

Neuer meanwhile himself said on German pay TV Sky Germany, "My goal is to move to a German club." And that could only mean FC Bayern Munich at the moment, but in Munich opinion about Neuer seems divided amongst fans. Some are against the signing of the boy from Gelsenkirchen while others welcome any such move.

Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said, "If you can sign Manuel Neuer, who is not only the world's best, but Germany's goalkeeper too, you have to sign him."

And he added, "If there is the chance to strengthen the position, so that no other team is better, then you have to do it. I personally hope the club manage to sign him."

This seems to be the opinion of the club management and players, who next season surely would like to play UEFA Champions League and try to reach the final which 2012 will be in Munich.

Manuel Neuer impresses once more

German international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer last night chose the biggest of all club football stages, the UEFA Champions League, to show what he is capable off. The FC Schalke 04 keeper made seven/eight exceptional saves in a one-sided game which Schalke went on to lose 0-2 as Manchester United were mainly in control.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was quite impressed by Neuer's goalkeeping and told journalists after the game, "I think in my time at United this was the finest display of goalkeeping against us. I'm sure there were other feats but tonight we saw a very good one."

Followers of the beautiful game who didn't know what makes Manuel Neuer currently the best goalkeeper in the world had a chance to see it for themselves. The Schalke captain was the only player of the royal blues who was world class and who could match the Manchester United players.

And one now would also understand why German giants FC Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been after signing Neuer though it seems done and dusted that Neuer will be moving south to the Bavarian giants for the next season. Even Sir Alex hinted at the post-match press conference that he couldn't put a bid in with Schalke as the player was already been sold.

Neuer is stepping into the footsteps of continuing a great German tradition of exceptional goalkeeping talent which was started by Sepp Maier in the 1970s and continued through the decades with Harald 'Toni' Schumacher, Bodo Illgner, Andreas Koepke, Oliver Kahn, Jens Lehmann at the top level.

Man Utd's negative German UCL past

Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 host English giants Manchester United in the first-leg of their semifinal at the 'Arena auf Schalke' tomorrow night. It will be the biggest match ever for the Gelsenkirchen club, while for Manchester United this stage of the Champions League is much more routine.

But there is an interesting piece of statistic which could give Schalke some hope of making it to their first ever Champions League final, while it could play on the mind of Sir Alex Ferguson and his boys. Manchester United have met German opposition four times in the two-legged semifinals and quarterfinals of the Champions League and never would they come out of those ties as winners.

The only knockout round exception was the 1999 final in Barcelona where the Red Devils would score a sensational 2-1 injury time comeback win against FC Bayern Munich. But that was different as it was a one-off match and at a neutral venue.

So against whom did Manchester United all play and lose over the years?

- 1997 - Semifinals: vs Borussia Dortmund (0-1,0-1)
- 2001 - Quarterfinal: vs FC Bayern Munich (0-1,1-2)
- 2002 - Semifinal: vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (2-2,1-1)
- 2010 - Quarterfinal: vs FC Bayern Munich (1-2,3-2)

Interesting to note is that on the first two occasions Dortmund and Bayern Munich would win the tie on aggregate and go on to win the Champions League title, while Leverkusen and last year Bayern Munich would only draw the tie on aggregate and go on to lose the final.

Schalke surely isn't a star studded side as the other three clubs had in their encounters with United, but Schalke have had an incredible run in the Champions League this season led by Raul upfront and some brilliant goalkeeping from Manuel Neuer at the back.

And after beating defending champions Inter Milan the royal blues are ready for another upset to make a surprising run into the final. And surely Raul would like to play his former club Real Madrid, while Mesut Oezil is old boys at Schalke. But before that can happen there is at least 180 minutes of football left.

Neuer not to renew Schalke contract

Manuel Neuer is one of the world's best goalkeepers and a sought after property by some of Europe's biggest clubs with especially FC Bayern Munich and Manchester United have shown serious interest in Germany's No.1 .

At a press conference in Gelsenkirchen earlier today Manuel Neuer under tears announced that he will not be renewing his current contract which runs until 2012 to try out something new in his career.

"I made my decision without any influence from the outside," said Neuer on the club website. "The decision had nothing to do with a coaching change or a person at some other club. I want to keep the possibility of change open after 20 years of being true to one club."

"The club have now informed me of the interest of Bayern, so it's possible that I could leave earlier, but that is a question for the club and I will not decide that alone.

"I want to make the next big step. I want to play regularly at the highest level. That's the Champions League."

Though Schalke is having a difficult domestic Bundesliga season, they are in the German Cup (DFB Pokal) final and face Manchester United in their first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League semifinal. They are a top Bundesliga side, but aren't amongst the best in Europe

"We accepted this decision with a heavy heart and we must respect it," said Schalke Director of Sports Horst Heldt and added, "What will happen now with Manuel will be decided in the coming weeks or months."

Meanwhile in Munich FC Bayern will have watched with interest. FC Bayern club president Uli Hoeness said, "We hope that he comes this year and if he doesn't come this year, he'll come next year."

And went on to say, "Where there's a will, there's a way. I think we're willing to make it happen, and if Schalke gets no transfer fee next year, then they will manoeuvre so that we can agree."