He won the Second Division championship with FC Schalke 04, and now Martin Fraisl has retired. It is not known what plans the Schalke promotion hero has for the future.
When Schalke 04 celebrated promotion at the end of the 2021–22 season—the club’s greatest success in recent history—Martin Fraisl was right in the thick of it. Three and a half years later, the Austrian goalkeeper is ending his active professional career. He announced this on Wednesday morning on his Instagram account.
“Today marks the end of a chapter that has shaped my entire life,” wrote the 32-year-old. “To be honest, it’s hard for me to even write these words. Because they mean that a time has come to an end in which I lived every single day for this dream.”
Fraisl was most recently under contract with the Portuguese third-division club CD Mafra. A native of Wolfsbach, he was a late bloomer, turning pro at the age of 22. In the years that followed, he traveled widely and can now look back on a colorful career. Fraisl played in Romania, the Netherlands, Denmark—and also in Germany.
After a stint with SV Sandhausen, Schalke was his second stop in Germany. The Royal Blues signed him as part of their rebuild in the summer of 2021 to serve as a backup for Ralf Fährmann. But by the eighth matchday, Fraisl was already between the posts. In his 26 total appearances for S04, the goalkeeper wasn’t always flawless. Yet he made crucial saves and displayed an outstanding mentality, which also made him a key figure in the locker room. Moreover, Fraisl was never at a loss for clear words.
After promotion and winning the second-division championship, their paths parted ways again. But things remained turbulent not only for Schalke but also for Fraisl: He was relegated from the 2. Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld before moving to FC Midtjylland in Denmark, where he celebrated the championship.
“I fought for everything and achieved more than I ever dared to dream,” Fraisl wrote in his lengthy statement, in which he also reflected once more on the title he won with Schalke. “I was able to play in six countries, experience different cultures, and meet extraordinary people—and I’m grateful for every moment that soccer has given me. Soccer was never just my job. It was my life.”
Fraisl expressed his deep gratitude to his wife, who had always been there for him. He emphasized: “Now that it’s all over, I realize: It’s not the trophies or victories that last. It’s the people. The emotions. The silence after a victory. And the feeling of having been part of something bigger.” And he added: “Yes, I would have loved to play in the Champions League. But at some point, I asked the AI where I actually stood in my career—and it replied: among the top 0.003 percent of all soccer players in Europe.”
Fellow players from his time at Schalke also reacted to Fraisl’s announcement. “Congratulations on a great career and thank you for the wonderful moments you’ve given us. We wish you nothing but the best for the future. Good luck!” the club wrote on its official account. Simon Terodde and Gerald Asamoah also congratulated Fraisl on his career.
It’s not yet known what plans the Schalke promotion hero now has in store. But he seems to have concrete ideas: “Today, one chapter ends. But anyone who knows me knows: the next one has long been waiting in the wings.”