He has just signed in Scotland, and this former Schalke player can already call himself the league leader. And he has set another record.

Well, that was quick: While the past few years have been less than successful for Alexander Schwolow, the former Schalke player has made a splendid start at his new club, Heart of Midlothian in Scotland.

The 33-year-old is already the first-choice goalkeeper and has just broken a 70-year-old record. The last Hearts goalkeeper to start the season with three clean sheets was in 1955.

Schwolow has now done it again: 2-0 against Glasgow Rangers, 1-0 against Falkirk and 3-0 in the derby against the “Hibs”. The “Hearts” and Schwolow are top of the table.

It goes without saying that the Scots are thrilled. The club is celebrating Schwolow on social media for this achievement. This should be like balm for the recently battered goalkeeper’s soul. Schwolow lost his place in the starting line-up at Schalke. The Wiesbaden-born player played for Schalke in the 2022/2023 season, the Gelsenkirchen club’s last Bundesliga season. Schwolow played 25 games for S04 in that season, conceding 63 goals and keeping three clean sheets. The experienced Schwolow joined the Gelsenkirchen club on loan in the summer of 2022, when they had just celebrated their return to the top flight. Schwolow started the season as the number one. However, the first half of the year is unlikely to have been a happy one for him: Schalke won only one game and Schwolow was regularly let down by his defense, looking poor himself on some of the many goals conceded. Although Schalke’s defense stabilized, Schwolow returned to goal for the hot phase of the season – Fährmann had been injured. S04 and Schwolow fought against relegation until the end, but it wasn’t enough. It was bitter for the goalkeeper: he made a bitter mistake in the all-important last home game against Eintracht Frankfurt. Fährmann then took over again on the last matchday. After Schalke’s relegation, he spent the years from July 2023 to July 2025 at 1. FC Union Berlin, where he moved from his home club Hertha BSC.

During his two years at Union Berlin, Schwolow remained the number two, unable to get past Frederik Rönnow, also a former Schalke player. He played seven games. Things are now going better for him in Scotland.