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Player Spotlight: Benedikt Höwedes

Benedikt Höwedes



Benedikt Höwedes was born in Halten in 1988, in the then West Germany.

He spent 7 years with his local club, TuS Haltern, joining at the tender age of 6. After a brief spell at Hertern-Langenbochum, Schalke swooped for the starlet and enrolled him in their youth academy. Höwedes was well-built and tall for his age and so he naturally trained as a central defender, exploiting his height advantage and stocky frame.

Benedikt was held in high regard within the DFB(German FA), and featured regularly at U-18, U-19 and U-21 levels.




Höwedes captained the Schalke U-19s in 2005-06 and was awarded the Fritz-Walter medal in 2006. This honour was in recognition of his performances after leading Schalke to a German Youth Championship as well as reaching the semi-finals of the U-19 UEFA Championships with the German squad in the same season.

Höwedes was a key member of Germany’s U-21 squad who won the 2009 UEFA U-21 Championships in Sweden earlier this year, taking his place in many pundits Best XI. He was an integral part of a defensive set-up that only shifted 4 goals in the entire campaign, qualification right through to the final.

These stellar performances helped ease Höwedes transition into the Schalke II team in the Oberliga and eventually into the main squad.

Höwedes first professional match was against Rosenborg in the Champions League after stepping in for an injured Christian Pander. He has established himself as an instrumental first-team player for Schalke in recent years, being awarded the number 4 shirt, highlighting his squad importance.

At 6ft2, Höwedes ensures his physical presence known in defence, his acute positional sense coupled with this brute strength makes him a valuable asset to the Bundesliga outfit.

Schalke have made a superb start to the Bundesliga this season and the defender has featured in 11 of his team’s fixtures so far this season, and has also managed 3 goals in 3 games in the DFB Pokal competition.

Considered a candidate for first-team international selection, Schalke have been fighting off interest from the more successful clubs in the Bundesliga as well as interest from abroad. Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Juventus have all made failed attempts to prise the star away from the Veltins Arena in the past, although if his rich vein of form continues, Schalke may be forced to let him go

Andy is a staff member and supports Rangers