When Schalke’s football academy comes to our mind, we recollect some of the biggest names in the world. World Cup winners Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler, Benedikt Howedes along with Leroy Sane are some of them. Ralf Fahrmann and Max Meyer are also some of the notable mentions who graduated from Knappenschmiede.
They are stars of their respective teams, but only one of them is the Captain of Schalke. That man is Benedikt Howedes – a man who has been with the club from the youth level since 2001 and made his debut for the first team in 2007. The 29-year-old has been through it all with the Blues and that makes him someone who is admired by fans all around the world.
Schalke’s academy is one of the best in Europe, but most of these players are exported rather than becoming boyhood club stars for various reasons.
Manuel Neuer left Schalke to win trophies and in search of a bigger club in Bayern Munich, which is understandable. Bayern’s recent swoop for TSG Hoffenheim’s Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy proves the temptation to play for the Bavarian giants is too much for any player to ignore.
Meanwhile, Mesut Ozil and Julian Draxler left for different purposes. Ozil slipped down the pecking order at Veltins-Arena as Werder Bremen lured him away from Schalke after promising regular game time. Whereas, Draxler left due to a contract dispute.
Bene, the exception
The trending exception is Howedes, who has seen many teammates leave over the last few years. The captain could’ve gone anywhere with his ability and versatility, but opted to stay true to Die Konigsblauen.
And in time, he has grown to be a beloved figure at Gelsenkirchen. Yet again, this off-season Howedes proved his loyalty by committing to Schalke till 2020, which will ensure that his stay with the Royal Blues for over a decade and that despite the club’s failure to qualify for European football next season.
The 29-year-old has revealed that he rejected advances from the likes of Arsenal and AC Milan in the summer of 2015 in order to spend his entire career with Schalke.
Besides the outspoken affection for the club, his tough no-nonsense tackling has made Howedes a firm fan favourite at the Veltins Arena. There are also instances demonstrating his exemplary attitude and work ethic.
The 29-year-old was also an ever-present member of Germany’s World Cup-winning squad, playing every single minute of the tournament in Brazil. Joachim Low’s defence consisting of Howedes, Hummels, Lahm and Boateng conceded just five goals en route to World Cup glory – a perfect example of Sir Alex Ferguson’s oft-quoted statement, ”Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”
Additionally, the German national team went as far as semi-finals during Euro 2012 and 2016 with Howedes playing a crucial part on both the occasions.
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Success on the club front as well
Howedes has played in some of the historic moments in the club’s history including Schalke’s win over Real Madrid 4-3 at Santiago Bernabeu in the 2015 Champions League. The Los Blancos were meant to turn up and walk their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions League but the emergence of Schalke boys Leroy Sane, Max Meyer, Leon Goretzka, Timon Wellenreuther and the experienced Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar put the Spanish giants to the sword.
Ruthless in attack, Real edged their way to the last eight of the competition with a 5-4 aggregate win. However, the Germans had made their point.
Howedes was also part of the Schalke’s spiffing run which comprehended a 5-2 win over the defending Champions Inter Milan at San Siro in the 2011 Champions League quarter-finals. That meant Die Knappens were through to the Champions League semifinals for the first time after rounding off a resounding 7-3 aggregate win over the Italians in Gelsenkirchen.
Howedes led his team from the front on that occasion and this victory helped Schalke regain their name in European football again. The defender was also part of the side which won the DFB-Pokal in 2011.
And when the side qualified for the 2014/15 Champions League season, they again rewrote history – qualifying for the tournament three times in a row for the first time in their history – all that with Howedes leading the way. This helped Schalke sign some of the big names that summer with Kevin Prince-Boateng, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Matija Nastasic and Felipe Santana arriving at the Veltins Arena.
Howedes is the best case study on professional selflessness you can find in the history of Schalke. Laden with moments of selflessness is his captaincy career, during which he put his club ahead of everything and everyone else. Always leading by example, a countless number of his team-mates benefited from his consummate professionalism towards the game, another contributing factor towards his greatness.
Even though Howedes has enjoyed success with both Schalke and Germany, he’s one of the most underrated footballers in Germany. He has given everything to the club and his love for Schalke defines the success.
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