Mika Wallentowitz joined S04 a year ago as a center forward from Werder Bremen. Now he took to the field wearing the number “2” and put in a powerful performance.

First things first: Schalke 04’s U19 team delivered a strong performance across the board in their 5-2 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. But the offensive line-up in particular, with Malik Tubic, captain Luca Vozar, Bilal Dardari and the two wingers Diego Backes and Mika Wallentowitz, played as if they were one at times. And one player who stood out was someone who had played a completely different role last season. Mika Wallentowitz, just 17 years old, moved from Werder Bremen’s U17 team to S04 in the summer of 2024 as a center forward. In his first season with the Royal Blues’ U19 team, the nearly 6-foot-3 giant drove his coach Norbert Elgert to the brink of despair at times with his finishing. The iconic coach of the Knappenschmiede then put his thinking cap on and came up with a brilliant idea. In the first game of the season against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wallentowitz took to the field with the number 2 on his back and was deployed as a so-called wing-back on the right side. There he delivered an impressive performance, especially in the first half. As if he had never played anywhere else, he made one cross after another and set up the first two goals for the Knappen through Malik Tubic. Afterwards, he received praise from the coach for his successful performance – and was compared to another Knappenschmiede graduate. “Mika Wallentowitz isn’t a trained (wing player, ed.). He’s always played center forward and up front. But with Silas Thier missing and still out, it was just an idea,” explained Elgert. “Similar to what happened with Malick Thiaw back then. But I don’t know if it will turn out the same way for him.”

If you want to become a professional, you’d better go to the back, Elgert told the current national player and AC Milan professional in the U19s. “Back then, everyone, including his dad, was furious with me. Today, they’re very happy,” recalled the successful coach.

Wallentowitz is now also facing retraining. “I don’t know if Mika will achieve something similar. But when he has the ball in front of him, he does really well,” said Elgert. On the other hand, the same applies to the new signing from VfL Bochum, Diego Backes, who even managed to score a goal.

With the necessary patience, Elgert is confident that the club will once again be able to get players where it wants them to be in the future. Who that will be is certainly not going to be decided on the first match day. But the start has whetted the appetite for more.