For the Lovers — Schalke 04

Up to the 2019/20 season, Schalke 04 had won seven German championships – 1957/58, 1941/42, 1939/40, 1938/39, 1936/37, 1934/35 and 1933/34 – plus five cup titles, in 2010/11, 2001/02, 2000/01, 1971/72 and 1937.

Up to the 2019/20 season, Schalke 04 had

Up to the 2019/20 season, Schalke 04 had won seven German championships – 1957/58, 1941/42, 1939/40, 1938/39, 1936/37, 1934/35 and 1933/34 – plus five cup titles, in 2010/11, 2001/02, 2000/01, 1971/72 and 1937.

Up to the 2019/20 season, Schalke 04 had won seven German championships – 1957/58, 1941/42, 1939/40, 1938/39, 1936/37, 1934/35 and 1933/34 – plus five cup titles, in 2010/11, 2001/02, 2000/01, 1971/72 and 1937. They also won the 2011/12 German Supercup.

UEFA Cup winners 1997: Schalke’s greatest post-war achieveme...

UEFA Cup winners 1997: Schalke’s greatest post-war achievement came under Huub Stevens in 1996/97.

UEFA Cup winners 1997: Schalke’s greatest post-war achievement came under Huub Stevens in 1996/97. The Knappen beat Inter Milan in a UEFA Cup final decided by penalties after a 1–0 first-leg win and a 0–1 defeat after extra time in the second. On the way there they eliminated Tenerife, Valencia, Club Brugge, Trabzonspor and, in round one, the Dutch side Roda Kerkrade, who were still coached at that time by Stevens himself.

DFB-Pokal and runners-up: Schalke’s biggest domestic success...

DFB-Pokal and runners-up: Schalke’s biggest domestic successes in the first decade after the Bundesliga’s introduction were the DFB-Pokal triumph – 5–0 against Kaiserslautern in the final in Hanover – and the runners-up spot in 1971/72.

DFB-Pokal and runners-up: Schalke’s biggest domestic successes in the first decade after the Bundesliga’s introduction were the DFB-Pokal triumph – 5–0 against Kaiserslautern in the final in Hanover – and the runners-up spot in 1971/72. Only a crushing 1–5 at Bayern in the direct showdown between first and second on the final day cost Schalke what could have been their first Bundesliga title.

The legendary 4–0 at Dortmund: on 23 September

The legendary 4–0 at Dortmund: on 23 September 2000, the Bundesliga eagerly awaited Andreas Möller’s return to Dortmund in Schalke colours.

The legendary 4–0 at Dortmund: on 23 September 2000, the Bundesliga eagerly awaited Andreas Möller’s return to Dortmund in Schalke colours. The world champion had become a hero at BVB and was mercilessly booed by the yellow wall. In the end, Möller emerged the victor. Schalke won 4–0 through goals from Jörg Böhme, Emile Mpenza, Ebbe Sand and a Jörg Heinrich own goal. Bild gleefully renamed Dortmund “BVB 04” the following Monday. Schalke also knocked the arch-rivals out of the cup later that season, 2–1, this time at home.

4–4 from 0–4 down: Schalke’s greatest comeback in

4–4 from 0–4 down: Schalke’s greatest comeback in Bundesliga history came, of all places, at Borussia Dortmund.

4–4 from 0–4 down: Schalke’s greatest comeback in Bundesliga history came, of all places, at Borussia Dortmund. On 25 November 2017, they were 4–0 down by the 61st minute but refused to give up. After an emotional halftime team talk by coach Domenico Tedesco, they threw themselves at the game and fought back through goals by Guido Burgstaller, Amine Harit, Daniel Caligiuri and centre-back Naldo in the 94th minute. The 91st Bundesliga meeting between the rivals became the “Derby of the Century”.

Jens Lehmann’s computer trick: Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Mila...

Jens Lehmann’s computer trick: Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan, 21 May 1997.

Jens Lehmann’s computer trick: Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan, 21 May 1997. Schalke 04 experienced the greatest night of their modern history. Chilean star Iván Zamorano forced extra time with an 85th-minute goal for Inter after Marc Wilmots had scored in the first leg. Extra time stayed goalless. In the final UEFA Cup final played over two legs, penalties were needed. In the shootout, keeper Jens Lehmann appeared to have better information. Huub Stevens had a computer file on penalty takers, and Lehmann guessed right against Zamorano. Aron Winter was not in the file, so Lehmann tried psychology, telling him he would stay in the middle in order to force him to pick a corner. Winter did just that, and missed wide. Schalke’s four takers all scored: Ingo Anderbrügge, Olaf Thon, Martin Max and Marc Wilmots. Schalke won 4–1 on penalties and lifted the cup. Stevens even noted down the final kick before he began celebrating. Order had to be maintained.

The last championship: Gelsenkirchen, 19 May 1958. The

The last championship: Gelsenkirchen, 19 May 1958.

The last championship: Gelsenkirchen, 19 May 1958. The mining city waited for its champions. Berni Klodt and company had just beaten Hamburger SV 3–0 in Hanover. Escorted by mounted police, the Schalke players rode through euphoric crowds in open cars with the championship shield. More than 60 years later, that team remained Schalke’s last German champion side.

7–0 at Bayern, 1976: the 1976/77 season, with

7–0 at Bayern, 1976: the 1976/77 season, with second place behind Mönchengladbach and 77 goals scored, was one of Schalke’s best Bundesliga campaigns.

7–0 at Bayern, 1976: the 1976/77 season, with second place behind Mönchengladbach and 77 goals scored, was one of Schalke’s best Bundesliga campaigns. It was crowned by the club’s biggest top-flight win: 7–0 at Bayern Munich on 9 October 1976 under Friedel Rausch. Record striker Klaus Fischer scored four times; Erwin Kremers, Manfred Dubski and Rüdiger Abramczik added the rest. Afterwards, Schalke even imposed the ultimate punishment on Franz Beckenbauer: he had to board the same plane as the players who had just “properly played us off the park”, as he put it.

The Miracle of Milan: “See, Bayern, that’s how

The Miracle of Milan: “See, Bayern, that’s how it’s done,” mocked Schalke’s travelling fans in the Giuseppe Meazza after Bayern had gone out to Inter in the Champions League round of 16 a year earlier.

The Miracle of Milan: “See, Bayern, that’s how it’s done,” mocked Schalke’s travelling fans in the Giuseppe Meazza after Bayern had gone out to Inter in the Champions League round of 16 a year earlier. In the 2010/11 quarter-finals, Schalke demolished defending champions Inter 5–2 away after winning the return leg and reached a Champions League semi-final for the first time in club history.

In the middle of the chaos, there was one bright light: promotion in 2022 under Mike Buskens.