After the departure of promotion keeper Martin Fraisl, FC Schalke 04 announced another decision regarding goalkeepers.
Michael Langer will remain with the Royal Blues in the 2022/2023 season. The experienced goalkeeper has been under contract with FC Schalke since 2017 and is now entering his sixth season in Gelsenkirchen, the club announced on Thursday.
The sporting future of the Austrian was still uncertain until the very end, as Langer’s working paper expired at the end of the promotion season. Schalke’s sports director Rouven Schröder has now confirmed that the contract with the 37-year-old has been extended by another year.
FC Schalke 04: Michael Langer a “role model”
“The past season has shown how important Michael is for the team. At the beginning of the season he was in the starting XI twice and showed really good performances. After that he found himself in the second rank without any problems and supported the team in another role – even after his cruciate ligament rupture. He is a role model for the boys in terms of commitment and professionalism,” said Schröder.
The goalkeeper himself was happy to be able to follow Schalke’s path for at least another year: “I’m really happy to continue to be a part of the club. It will be a very challenging year. The fight to stay up will demand everything from us , and I want to do my part with my experience and commitment in every training session and support and push the goalkeeper team as best I can.”
Only five appearances for FC Schalke 04
Langer has been part of the goalkeeper team at Schalke for five years, but has only made five appearances during this time. In the past season he was keeper number three behind Martin Fraisl and Ralf Fährmann.
As Schalke also explained, in addition to his role as a full member of the licensed team, Langer will also complete a trainee program that covers the areas of contract management, scouting & analysis, sports management and goalkeeper training.