Schalke 04: Returning for Büskens an incredible journey

25 years ago, Mike Büskens, as a player with Schalke 04, sensationally won the UEFA Cup, and he classified the immediate return to the Bundesliga as an interim coach as similarly historically. "From this evening we will talk in a decades or two," said the 54-year-old after the 3-2 (0: 2) victory against FC St. Pauli, with whom the royal blue made the return to the upper house prematurely.

"It was an incredible journey," said Büskens, who was promoted from the assistant to the chief coach in early March, after the seventh threesome in the eighth game under his direction, "We developed a spirit that was sensational." When he had taken over Dimitrios Grammozis for the attorney, Schalke was six points behind the relegation place. "I think very few people thought we were still packing it," he said, "it was intense, the trip was already difficult."

On Saturday evening, Schalke turned a 0-2 deficit and secured the fourth promotion after 1982, 1984 and 1991 through the Saisontore 28 and 29 by Simon Terodde and a hit by substitute Rodrigo Zalazar - after that all the dams broke, the fans stormed into the field and celebrated with the players. "It was our dream," said Büskens, "but you don't get dreams fulfilled by snap, for that you have to do something."

Articles and videos on the topic

* "It is incredible": Schalke gets up to the Bundesliga after a wrong game * Tremor: HSV temporarily jumps in second place * Top sport live on dazn. Register now! Can be canceled at any time.

His teammates of 1997, who had stormed with him through Europe to the greatest success of the club's history, could be celebrated by the audience before the kick -off. The team by the century coach Huub Stevens met Schalke for the anniversary.