The FC Schalke fans have not forgotten Timo Werner’s swallow.

After a few repetitions, however, it was good. FC Schalke 04 and Timo Werner – this will no longer be a love story.

On his return to the starting line-up at RB Leipzig after a long injury, the supporters of the Königsblauen offered the expected welcome to the national striker.

As if the 0:1 in the seventh minute by André da Silva had not disturbed them more seriously, some S04 supporters in the Nordkurve insulted Werner with vituperative chants, according to which his mother stood for venal love. After a few repetitions, which can now be described as customary in the Bundesliga, the Schalke fans concentrated on cheering on their team again.

The dislike for Timo Werner has been around for more than six years. On matchday 13 of the 2016/17 season, the then 20-year-old attacker got carried away with a swallow in the Schalke penalty area after just two minutes in Leipzig. The Schalkers protested, but the penalty whistle still sounded. Werner even converted the penalty himself.

In the end, Schalke lost 1:2. Werner said afterwards that he had not had a bad feeling about the action. However, the national striker did not only make friends in Gelsenkirchen. Even in Leipzig, some supporters saw the swallow for what it was – disgraceful for football. He had “learned a lot from it”, Werner then said with some distance. He had become stronger as a result: “I took a lot for my personality development from that time,” he said, “I don’t think many strikers would have scored so many goals afterwards when the mood is so against their own person.”

For the negative attitude of the opposing fans is immense: “At home games from the visitors’ block, at away games from the whole stadium. “Timo Werner also made this experience on Tuesday evening in the FC Schalke 04 arena, albeit in a more harmless variant than before.