Henning Matriciani played his way into the hearts of Schalke fans last year. Accordingly, they voted him player of the season.
Henning Matriciani has played his way into the hearts of the Schalke public with his courageous commitment and passionate style of play. At the traditional Schalke Day, to which a total of 50,000 fans flocked in rainy weather, the defender has now been ennobled.
In the election for player of the season conducted by the Schalke Fan Club Association (SFCV), Matriciani landed in first place, succeeding Simon Terodde. The newly-crowned Schalke captain had won the election in the summer of 2022 after he had fired the Königsblauen back into the Bundesliga with over 30 goals.
Now Matriciani. “The way I play football is well received here. Especially with the fans behind me, it’s a lot of fun,” said the 23-year-old, who a few weeks ago extended his contract with the Königsblauen ahead of schedule until 30 June 2026. “As a club, we are delighted with how much Henning has developed over the past two years. We are convinced that he will continue to be an important part of our team in the coming years – both on and off the pitch,” said Sporting Director Peter Knäbel after the signing of Henning Matriciani.
Schalke coach Thomas Reis appreciates the defender’s “outstanding attitude, versatility and speed” and says: “We will have a lot of fun with him.” Matriciani had fought his way into the squad of the German U21 national team for the European Championship in Georgia and Romania a few weeks ago. However, Matriciani had to pull out of the tournament with the DFB after finishing bottom of the group.
The Schalker defender was part of the German starting line-up in two of the three group matches. Three and a half years ago, Matriciani played for SV Lippstadt in the Regionalliga West. Via Schalke’s U23s, he fought his way up to the professional ranks – and, not least because of his versatility and fighting spirit, he can also expect to be called up for the start of the second division against Hamburger SV.