Max Mayer: The ex-Schalke changes after a long prank at Crystal Palace

E in the world-clbad footballer. In each top European team regular players. Most likely in the World Cup team. With these attributes, Roger Wittmann wanted to make his best horse in the stable tip to taste. Because the counselor of Schalke player Max Meyer, aged 22, has thus praised the contract. The desired customer, the director of Schalke, Christian Heidel, must have already twisted his eyes. Wittmann wanted an offer only for this exceptional player.

Heidel always sends one thing: "But not for the world-clbad footballer Max Meyer, but for a very, very good Bundesliga player who has the potential to become even better." Already during this conversation, he had an idea of ​​the end of the negotiations. FC Schalke 04 offered an extra to Meyer in the winter. Period of the contract: four years. Annual salary: 5.5 million euros. Meyer refuses, Councilor Wittmann pulls in the direction of the Royal Blues: "Two e-mails are not enough to convince a boy Schalke to find himself."

More and more frequently, Meyer goes to Schalke on the bench. In April, the drama of the six reaches its peak. In an unauthorized picture interview, Meyer complains: "Lately, everything seems to be intimidating me." Coach Domenico Tedesco replied: "Before his personal attacks, I am disappointed and I do not understand because they just do not vote." A day after the interview Schalke releases the middle ground.

Even the "unemployed FC" wanted Meyer

Finally, Roger Wittmann could offer the world-clbad player on the open market. There were no better clubs. Nobody wanted Meyer – at least not on the terms, the consultants and the players demanded. In the process, Heidel even badured him that he had said to Meyer's best that he had "nothing against Max", which he still considers a great footballer. There were already eight winter surveys, said various media, citing consultant Wittmann. "We know many clubs around the world who want to work with Max," he recently added

Meyer's salary expectations have always been controversial: A transfer to Hoffenheim, the media already described as perfect, refused the club in no time. Discreetly returned to the upper hand and the wishes of salary. Councilor Wittmann has claimed between six and eight million euros a year. Always from England, it has been said, Meyer must rethink his desired salary. A total of ten clubs – from AC Milan, Arsenal FC and Fenerbahce Istanbul to Athlético Madrid – Meyer was finally under discussion. All negotiations fail. Meyer's unemployment drew ever-wider circles in the world of football

Meyer, who had played a good role in Schalke's central defensive midfielder in the previous round and played four international caps, suspended during weeks. exercise camp organized by his counselor to be able to recommend himself to future employers. In July, even Peter Neururer, who is guarding the unemployed drummer in the VDV syndicate, invited Mayer to the training: "Who can be helped, who will be helped, of course we are also recording Max Meyer," he said. declared to the Neue Ruhr Zeitung

Heidel and Wittmann remain business partners

Now the odyssey in the transfer market seems to be over: Max Meyer is about to change Palace . On Tuesday, the former FC Schalke 04 midfielder was already in London to perform the mandatory medical checkup. If the change occurred, Schalke, where Meyer had been under contract until June 30, would receive a training allowance in the amount of nearly 500,000 euros.

"I'm glad he found a club," said Christian Heidel, sports director of Schalke.However, the Schalker will not benefit from a transfer based on the market, given that Meyer had not extended his expiring contract. "I have never said that Max Meyer is not a good football. On the contrary, "Heidel said on Tuesday," He is happy that Meyer is now playing in the strong English league. "Now, he is in the Premier League, because he has to win, said Heidel. which also attempts to relativize the gap between him and Wittmann.

The argument was neither "pleasant nor handsome", said the 55-year-old: " But that has long been dispelled. We shook hands. Finally, the men will have to talk to each other in the future: the talents of Schalke Thilo Kehrer (21), whose contract expires in 2019, are also part of Wittmann's clients. The Schalke would like to expand.

Meyer, if he agrees with Crystal Palace, but must give up the future in international football. The Londoners only reached eleventh place in the last season. "It's a well-structured club with an enthusiastic audience," said Heidel

A local venture with Meyer

The change would go to the Premier League club's planning: The club lost both its mid-engines this summer. Frenchman Yohan Cabaye joined Al-Nasr in the Emirates and Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to Chelsea following his loan. Currently, Serbian Luka Milivojevic is the only nominal member of the Crystal Palace team

. With Meyer, a Schalke leaves the Ruhr. In September 1995, Meyer was born in Oberhausen, already playing with five years for FC Sardegna Oberhausen, 2004 changes to Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. After a station in the youth department of MSV Duisburg Meyer in 2009 in the "Knappenschmiede", the junior performance center of Schalke. For the first time, Meyer evolves in the B-Youth-Bundesliga West and works on A-youth in the professional team.

In the DFB Cup match against SV Sandhausen, he succeeds for the first time the jump in the Schalke team, even if it does not come to train. In the same year, he signs a contract with the professionals of Gelsenkirchen – within twelve months, his market value according to transfermarkt.de increases from one million to 15 million euros. Meyer played a total of 146 Bundesliga games, scored 17 goals and gave as many badists.

As "MM7", he plays Cristiano Ronaldo

When footballer Raúl celebrated his farewell game at Schalke in 2013, the figures once bore the heroes Schalke Stan Libuda and Rüdiger Abramczik. In fact, the club no longer wanted to forgive the number, for the sake of Meyer, they lifted the rule – they fit "like Max in the eye," said former manager Horst Heldt.

However, never seemed to become a real squire, holding back with confessions, described both internally and externally as distanced. In the net, however, Meyer has demonstrated that he can do it differently: It sells under the abbreviation "MM7" – in reference to the "CR7" mark of Cristiano Ronaldo.

That Meyer nevertheless went so much in the hands of his surprising consultant. Again and again, confidants asked him why he did not sign the 5.5 million offer. Here, Meyer had finished his best season on Schalke last season. After Jens Keller, Roberto di Matteo, Andre Breitenreiter and Markus Weinzierl Meyer prospered only under Domenico Tedesco, who ordered Meyer from the center of attack in the defensive midfielder.

In April, Meyer's last confession disappeared at Schalke 04. On his Instagram profile, he replaced the word "Schalke 04" with "Nike" – his private sponsor. His profile description is therefore only a few words long – for the word "Crystal Palace" there is still enough space.