Ralf Fährmann no longer plays a role at FC Schalke 04. His contract runs until summer 2025. Everything indicates that the goalkeeper will sit out the contract.
He played 289 games for FC Schalke 04. This puts him in 15th place among S04’s record players. In this ranking he is ahead of club greats such as Stan Libuda, Ebbe Sand, Yves Eigenrauch, Willi Koslowski and the Kremers twins Erwin and Helmut.
We’re talking about Ralf Fährmann. The goalkeeper has not played a role in Gelsenkirchen for some time now.
He is not wanted in the professional squad. But since he has a contract until June 30, 2025, he can stay fit in the second division team’s regional league team.
The 36-year-old from Chemnitz experienced the good times at Schalke, such as the 1st Bundesliga and the Champions League, but he was also there during the Bundesliga relegations and the seasons in the 2nd Bundesliga. Fährmann experienced first-hand how fast-moving the football business can be with FC Schalke 04.
I worked hard for everything, fought and suffered. I earned this contract. It’s that simple
Ralf Fährmann about his contract until June 30, 2025
“It’s brutally difficult. Playing with Schalke at the Bernabéu and then having to play in the second division just a few years later, you have to process that in your head. I’ve often asked myself how it got to this point. A simple answer There’s no such thing as that,” said Fährmann in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
But he doesn’t mention the relegations as the worst experience at Schalke. “To be honest: When Alexander Nübel was booed by the entire stadium in Cologne, it really affected me. The Cologne fans sang ‘Nübel out’ and the Schalke team joined in. I know Alex and like him a lot. He has Schalke in the Saved from relegation the previous season with mega saves. After his move to Bayern Munich, he was released. That was brutal.”
Fährmann has a high-paying contract at Schalke. No wonder that Schalke, which is not exactly a bed of roses, would have liked to dissolve the working paper. Already in the summer of 2024 – like Timo Baumgartl. But the ferryman cannot be fobbed off so easily.
“I let it affect me as little as possible and tried to gain support and self-confidence through training. As a goalkeeper you are used to having to figure things out on your own anyway. I worked hard for everything, fought and suffered. I have this contract I deserve it. It’s that simple,” he explains.
He will be on shift at Schalke by summer 2025 at the latest. And once he has served out his contract, he can definitely imagine another new challenge. Fährmann: “I’m still in top shape and can certainly still play at a good level. If it’s an interesting task, I’ll continue.”
