Rabbi Matondo once came to FC Schalke 04 in the winter as a million-dollar man and subsequently left as a flop. Remember?
Not too long ago, FC Schalke 04 was still able to handle millions in player transfers. In the year following the 2017/18 season, in which they finished as runners-up, the club from Gelsenkirchen found themselves in twelfth place after 19 match days. The gap to the European Cup places was six points – a gap that should definitely not be there at the end of the season. The goal was clear: after such a successful year, the aim was to reach the Europa League at least.
On January 30, reinforcements were to arrive. Christian Heidel, the sporting director, presented a talented 18-year-old Welshman from Manchester City’s U23 team for nine million euros. Rabbi Matondo, a nimble, technically gifted winger, was to complement the squad as a young player with a lot of potential for development and, if possible, help out in the league with his enormous speed. Schalke was hoping for a similarly steep development as with Jadon Sancho from their rivals in Dortmund.
Even Pep Guardiola raved about the young offensive man before the transfer rumors: “He’s a talent. An incredibly fast winger.”
Despite Guardiola’s seal of approval, Schalke fans were forced to abandon their hopes that Matondo would become a great player. The Welshman had difficulties adapting to professional football. In his first season in the top German league, he made seven brief appearances (a total of 184 minutes of play). In the DFB Cup, he played for 45 minutes in the 4-1 round of 16 victory against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Schalke lends Rabbi Matondo twice
In the following years, too, Matondo produced precious little. In the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, he made a total of 23 Bundesliga appearances, in which he scored just two goals. He did not manage any assists. A disappointing return for a winger.
Schalke therefore took the opportunity to loan the Welshman out to further his development in a different environment. In the summer of 2021, he then went to Cercle Bruges in Belgium, where he had a strong season.
Schalke is losing money with Rabbi Matondo
Nevertheless, the now 21-year-old no longer had a future at Schalke. “Rabbi had a very good season in Belgium. Nevertheless, we openly communicated with him that from an economic point of view, we cannot plan for him for the new season. He handled it in a highly professional manner,” explained S04 sporting director Rouven Schröder.
On July 12, 2022, his permanent departure was finalized: Matondo went to the Scottish record champions, Glasgow Rangers. Matondo brought the miners three million euros in revenue – a bitter loss in view of the transfer fee originally paid. Added to this is the not insignificant salary for Matondo, who is likely to be one of the most expensive misunderstandings in Schalke’s winter transfer history.