Schalke left-back Vitalie Becker has two reasons to celebrate. Exciting news: there is a new junior national player at the Knappenschmiede.
The days when most of the S04 squad were away with their national teams during the international breaks are over. The FC Schalke 04 training ground at Berger Feld wasn’t noticeably emptier, but four players were missing because they had been called up for their national teams: Nikola Katic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Moussa Sylla and Ibrahima Cissé (both Mali) and Vitalie Becker (Germany U20).
Things went almost perfectly for left-back Becker. The 20-year-old made his debut for coach Hannes Wolf’s team in a 5-1 win over Switzerland, contributing an assist. The next victory followed on Tuesday, when the DFB juniors swept aside Italy’s U20 team 4-0. The Schalke player was in the starting line-up for both games. Center back Nikola Katic can also look back on a starting line-up appearance during the international break. He played 90 minutes in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 2-1 defeat to Austria, but did not feature in the 6-0 win in San Marino a few days earlier.
Striker Moussa Sylla had to settle for substitute appearances for the Mali national team. The Schalke player played only six minutes in the 3-0 win against the Comoros, and nine minutes in the 1-0 defeat in Ghana. It was a bitter pill for him to swallow: the defeat against Ghana means that Mali’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup is now a distant prospect. In addition to the S04 top striker, Ibrahima Cissé was also part of the Mali squad – but the 25-year-old defender did not feature.
Schalke talent Lasse Deutschbein makes his debut for Germany’s U17 team
In addition to the professionals, four players from the Knappenschmiede academy also played for their national teams. Malik Tubic (substitute in the final phase) and Amar Ibrisimovic (90 minutes of playing time) were part of the Bosnian U21 squad in the U21 European Championship qualifier against Israel (0-0). Edion Gashi (81 minutes of playing time) played for Kosovo’s U21 team in the European Championship qualifier against Spain (1-3). In addition, U17 center back Lasse Deutschbein made his debut for Germany’s U17 national team in their 1-1 draw with Israel (90 minutes). The S04 talent played 33 minutes in the spectacular 5-7 defeat to England.