Class Jan Huntelaar gave up the possibility of ending his career with a championship • He left Ajax the team where he broke out and in the media he planned to retire and was rescued for Schalke's survival mission in the Bundesliga: "Right now they are in trouble and need me more"
Huntler in a Schalke uniform.
Could not see the problems remotely
Photography:
Reuters
It is not a new thing that a footballer at the end of his career returns to the mother team or the team where he made his big break.
Desire to close a circle or acknowledge gratitude - this phenomenon exists, is structured and exciting.
In South America and North this matter is particularly common, and it makes sense given the fact that many of the players leave at a young age.
The Milito brothers, Carlos Tevez, Maxi Rodriguez, Roca Santa Cruz, Kaka - all of these have returned home in recent years.
This is also happening a lot in Europe.
There were Wayne Rooney and Everton, Joaquin and Betis, Fernando Torres and Atletico Madrid, Thierry Henry and Arsenal, Andrei Shevchenko and Dynamo Kyiv, and in recent years Dirk Cout, Robin van Persie and Arian Ruben have also returned to the Netherlands.
In this respect, the case of Klass Jan Huntler is really not unusual, but there is no doubt that there is a great deal of Klass in it.
Until this week, the 37-year-old Dutch striker was part of the list above.
In 2017 he returned to Ajax to spend his last years there on the pitches, but this week his retirement plan ran into what he defined as a "complete sentence" of his professional life.
While playing for Ajax and scoring goals in his final season, an offer from Schalke landed on the table, seeking to include him in the current transfer window.
"It's like choosing between my two kids," said Huntler, who is very attached to those two clubs.
At Ajax, he made the big break in 2006-2009, thanks to which he was sold to Real Madrid for 20 million euros - and he returned to Ajax in 2017 - with the intention of ending his career there.
While in the Dutch champion uniform Huntler played six and a half years (in two terms), in Schalke he spent seven consecutive and particularly successful years.
He won the German Cup with her, played with her in the Champions League, won the media title of King of the Bundesliga goals - and it went deep into his heart.
So, when she called him to join, Huntler could not help but hesitate and wrestle.
"Ajax and Schalke are the two clubs I am most connected to," said the Dutchman, "but Schalke is in trouble right now and they need my help more."
More nostalgia than tactics
As one who cares, Huntler could not ignore the situation of his former team.
From the runner-up in 2018, Schalke became a team that has been fighting for its life this season, and only recently broke a terrible streak of 30 league games without a win.
All the professional and economic problems came with the Corona crisis, debts piled up, coaches changed, and after about half a season the team from Gelsenkirchen is in real danger of relegation - something that has not happened to them since 1992.
Having no choice, Elka declared a state of emergency.
In the absence of an orderly plan to save the group, the management turned to the last refuge - nostalgia.
Accordingly, the first acquisition was Siad Kolasinach.
The home player who left Arsenal in 2017 came back on loan, received the captain's ribbon and declared: "I am proud to wear the blue uniform again, I have no doubt we will be able to stay in the league."
At the same time, Rafinha, the Brazilian defender who played for the club between 2005 and 2010 and who was left out of the Olympiacos squad in her last game, was also approached.
"Shaleka has approached me and everyone knows she is in my heart," said the 35-year-old Brazilian, "but at the moment I am an Olympiacos player."
A similar dilemma faced Huntler, except that he made his thinkers fast.
Yesterday he signed with Schalke until the end of the season, and today he may already play against FC Cologne (19:30 Sports. (4 "I want to be part of the survival journey", he said, "Schalke's place in the Bundesliga).
One can understand why Elka wanted Huntler.
With 13 goals, she has the second worst offense in the Bundesliga, and in the last decade she has no sweeter offensive memory than the Dutchman.
In his seven years at Blue, the striker has scored 82 goals - far more than any other player during this period, and at Schalke it is believed that the success story can be repeated despite the age and condition of the team.
"His joining can do us wonders," his coach Christian Gross admitted this week, "he has the abilities, aura and personality we need."
Huntler proved this week that he did not forget to score, when in his Ajax uniform, in a game against Twente, he became the first player in the history of the Dutch league to come in as a substitute in the 89th minute and score a double.
In total, he scored seven goals this season in just 385 minutes.
However, it's still a big gamble for Schalke and his.
More nostalgia than tactics, more retro than modern thinking.
Huntler can certainly contribute some goals, restore crowd confidence and upgrade the youth, but on the other hand he, 37, has never experienced relegation struggles, and has scored most of his last goals against Dutch bottom teams.
If the veteran Huntler manages to keep Schalke in the league, it will be one of the most amazing and exciting football stories of the year, but even if not - the Dutchman will always be remembered as the one who gave up the possibility of the Dutch Championship and decisive stages of the Europa League for prestigious bottom struggles with Schalke.
It's class, class Jan Huntler.