Exciting days lie behind Henning Matriciani. The courageous rescue tackle against Dortmund’s Mahmoud Dahoud in the final phase of the derby earned the FC Schalke 04 defender a lot of applause and many compliments. Any worries that the 23-year-old could take off are completely unfounded.
Henning Matriciani (right) blocks a shot by Mahmoud Dahoud.
IMAGO/Team 2
Henning Matriciani’s mobile phone had to endure a lot on Saturday evening: Schalke became a hero in the closing stages of the derby when he blocked Mahmod Dahoud’s shot and saved his team’s 2-2 draw. The Schalke media department then published a photo montage of him on the Internet, showing him as a world footballer. The appropriate subline: “The real goat.” The greatest of all time. Of course, the congratulatory messages came in dozens of times.
“I wasn’t even on the phone at first,” revealed Matriciani on his 23rd birthday on Tuesday. “I was happy to get all the news. It’s good for the heart, good for the soul.” Overall, however, he was “relaxed” after the derby. “I’m still one of the team, quite normal,” he said. “A little bit of fun is always good.”
Sentences that are exemplary for the reserved defensive player, who is more conspicuous for his courageous commitment on the field than for his big words off the pitch. Worries that Matriciani could take off because of all the praise are therefore completely unfounded. The “team player” (Schalke’s licensed player manager Gerald Asamoah) is also a “mental monster” (goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann) – and that’s why he’s extremely popular with the Schalke supporters, who indulge in a real Henning hype.
Matriciani promised to stay true to himself on Tuesday: “I’ll do my thing, keep doing it. I try to give everything in every game, to give it my all, no matter what position.” As is well known, that depends on Schalke. Not just since the recent derby.
