Lok Leipzig captain Djamal Ziane meets Gerald Asamoah on vacation – and asks the Schalke legend directly “where the goal is”.
England’s capital London is a popular destination between Christmas and New Year, with many Germans also traveling to the metropolis on the Thames. One of them was Djamal Ziane, captain of regional league soccer club Lok Leipzig. And he met a former professional footballer – Gerald Asamoah, legend of the cult club FC Schalke 04.
Under a joint souvenir photo with Asamoah, Ziane wrote: “Just ask again where the goal is for the second half of the season.” It was a humorous way of dealing with a situation that is less funny for the 31-year-old Djamal Ziane: the striker, last season’s top scorer in the Regionalliga Nordost with 18 goals, has only scored twice so far this season. Lok Leipzig are 14th in the table and in the relegation battle. Schalke’s current head of the licensed players’ department is a good person to talk to when it comes to tips on scoring goals.
Asamoah won the DFB Cup twice with Schalke and was runner-up in the championship once. He ranks fourth among S04’s record players (381 appearances, 64 goals, 47 assists) for the Schalke professional team – ahead of other legends such as Ingo Anderbrügge (360 appearances), Klaus Fischer (348) and Benedikt Höwedes (333). Did Asamoah’s words have any effect? Ziane will start the second half of the season with Lok Leipzig on January 19.
Schalke, meanwhile, will start their preparations for the second half of the season on the same day. To ensure the best possible conditions, the Royal Blue squad will travel to Albufeira in Portugal – from January 2 to 10, the S04 professionals will be sweating it out in the Algarve under the guidance of coach Karel Geraerts.
Two test matches are planned. One is scheduled to take place on January 6 against Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, with another opponent yet to be determined. In addition, the Fan Affairs department also offers a program outside of sporting events. This Tuesday (January 2), for example, there will be a welcome evening at the training ground, where fans will be greeted by S04 representatives. (fs)