Kevin Kuranyi is still popular at Schalke. On Sunday he was once again in Gelsenkirchen. And gave S04 courage in the relegation battle.
Kevin Kuranyi played for FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga for five years. Before that, after moving to Germany from Latin America, he played for VfB Stuttgart in his youth, with the amateurs and in the 1st league.
In the meantime, his son Karlo (17) also plays for VfB Stuttgart. As a centre forward, of course, like his father. And Kevin Kuranyi naturally watched his son play 0:1 in the DFB Cup semi-final at his old stomping ground. Apart from a dangerous shot on goal shortly before the end of the game, however, Karlo Kuranyi remained hapless.
His father, on the other hand, had to shake many hands and even look at old photos. “That’s nice. That was a time when we laughed a lot together,” Kuranyi told a female S04 fan.
The Königsblauen don’t have much to laugh about in the Bundesliga at the moment. “It’s actually a pity that my two favourite clubs, VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04, are both in the bottom. That’s why I wish they would both do better in the second half of the season and still get out of the bottom,” Kuranyi told RevierSport. “It’s a very difficult situation for Schalke. They have financial problems, the coach has been replaced, the sporting director is gone. There were many changes in the summer and the team has not found itself yet. I think that’s why they are at the bottom. It’s not easy for them. I hope they work on the structure and find a proper structure to play successfully again.”
Sixteenth in the table, VfB Stuttgart already have five points more than S04 but also have to fear for staying in the relegation zone. “You can’t compare one club with the other. They are different clubs with different starting positions. But VfB also has problems. They also had a change of sport director, a change of coach. They are also at the bottom of the league and have to work on the team to make it successful again. They dropped a few points in the first half of the season,” said Kuranyi, who now lives in Stuttgart again.
He also gives VfB better chances in the relegation battle. “I honestly think it’s more likely for VfB at the moment.” At Schalke, he said, it is also a quality problem, so it does not look good for the Knappen at the moment. “Of course, the team lacks the quality to play in the Bundesliga. But with a bit of luck and hard work, you can do it. The boys have to learn to work on themselves and always give everything in every game. Then you can also achieve to stay in the Bundesliga with fight and work.”
Realistically, relegation must be expected for the team at the bottom of the table, but he remains positive: “I am confident that both teams will remain in the Bundesliga.