Lars Unnerstall has long since found happiness in the neighboring country. The former FC Schalke 04 keeper has now become an integral part of Twente Enschede’s starting eleven. The 33-year-old is currently following the team’s development with a teary eye.
Lars Unnerstall once made his breakthrough at FC Schalke 04. The Münsterland native moved from Preußen Münster to S04 in his youth and was then initially only a regional league goalkeeper for the Royal Blues. In the 2011/12 season, the then young keeper made 21 appearances in the Bundesliga, and a year later he played in the Champions League.
However, the goalkeeper was unable to assert himself at Schalke in the long term; in January 2014 he left the Ruhr area for Aarau in Switzerland. The 33-year-old has now landed in the Netherlands at Twente Enschede, where he only extended his contract until 2027 in the summer.
FC Schalke 04: Unnerstall is hoping and excited
“It’s a nice feeling to experience such appreciation. Everyone in the club and the fans were happy and told me so – personally and also on social networks. If I stay fit, I want to continue playing here until I’m 40. That would be top. I want to continue to experience and help shape the development of the club,” Unnerstall told Sport Bild.
The former German junior international was far less happy about the current situation at his former club. “It’s just a shame. Now you have to look down the second division table to find S04. I hope and am excited that the horror scenario doesn’t come true and Schalke is relegated to the third division. The club absolutely has to get back in the Bundesliga – that’s the only place he belongs,” said the Ibbenbüren player.
To do this, Schalke must “find the team spirit again quickly,” according to Unnerstall’s assessment from afar. “Working hard, sticking together, that’s what the club and fans stand for. I hope that everyone can pull themselves together again,” said the two-time U20 national goalkeeper.