Leo Greiml had a lot of bad luck with injuries at Schalke. He now plays in the Netherlands, where he has just fought his way back. However, things are not looking good on the sporting front.

NAC Breda is a proud traditional club in the Netherlands. Founded in 1912, the black and yellows managed to stay in the league last season as a promoted team. With 29 games and two goals, center back Leo Greiml played his part. After difficult years at Schalke, the now 24-year-old center back has fought his way into the starting lineup in the Netherlands.

However, injury misfortune caught up with him again in the current season. After missing the start of the season with a shoulder injury, he fought his way back in. Greiml was a regular from the fourth matchday onwards, before he was injured again after a good two months.

This time it was his foot. Greimal was out for a good two and a half months from the beginning of November to mid-January this year. But Greiml is proving to be tough. Since his comeback on matchday 19, he has been in the starting eleven in all four possible league games.

This could also be due to the fact that NAC Breda urgently needs defensive stability. 36 goals conceded in 22 games is not a bad record, but 23 goals scored is. Significantly, in Greiml’s comeback against NEC Nijmegen in January, Breda scored three goals – but also conceded four.

With 16 points, Greiml’s team is currently bottom of the table. One point separates Breda from Telstar in 16th place, who, as things stand, are likely to take part in play-offs against second division teams. FC Volendam in 15th place, the first non-relegation spot, are already five points ahead.

Greiml has already suffered two cruciate ligament tears

Austrian Leo Greiml learned to play soccer at his home club SV Horn and in the youth team of AKA St. Pölten. In the summer of 2018, he moved to Rapid Vienna II. Just one year later, he was already playing for the first team. He played 57 games for Rapid in three years, but also suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in the 2021/22 season. In the summer of 2022, he moved to FC Schalke 04 on a free transfer. However, Greiml was unable to get his footing there. In two years, the center back played in just eight games for the first team. Instead, he first suffered a meniscus injury and then his second cruciate ligament rupture in the 2023/24 season. In the summer of 2024, he then moved to Dutch first division club NAC Breda, where he is doing much better.