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Midfielders
Ivan Rakitic - FIFA World Cup 2018 silver medalist, Ivan Rakitic, joined Schalke 04 from FC Basel in 2007 and spent four years at the Gelsenkirchen based club.
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He made 117 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke 04, scoring 17 goals. His performances for the club caught the attention of the big clubs across Europe and he eventually joined Sevilla in 2011.
The Croatian international won the Europa League 2014 with Sevilla before making his move to Barcelona in 2014. He is a crucial member of Barcelona for the last four seasons and is still contracted to the club.
Mesut Ozil - One of the most technically gifted playmakers of his generation, Mesut Ozil joined FC Schalke's youth team in 2005 and made his first-team debut for the club as a 17-year old during the 2006-2007 season.
However, his stay at the Schalke didn't last for long and he joined Wolfsburg in 2008 after falling out with the club management. He played 39 games in all competitions for the Royal Blues scoring 1 goals and recording 5 assists.
His performances in the FIFA World Cup 2010 caught the attention of big clubs across Europe and he eventually signed for Real Madrid during the summer transfer window of 2010. He won one LaLiga, one Copa del Rey, and one Supercopa de España with the Spanish Giants before making a switch to Arsenal in 2013.
The 29-year-old won a number of individual awards during the course of his career including five German Player of the Year awards.
Leon Goretzka - FC Schalke lost a number of good players for free during the last few years and Leon Goretzka is the latest one to leave the Royal Blues on a Bosman-deal to join Bayern Munich last summer.
Goretzka was signed by FC Schalke in 2013 from VfL Bochum and he impressed in his first season itself by scoring five goals in 32 games for the club. He played 116 times for the Miners, scoring 14 goals.
Bochum born midfielder feature regularly for the German National Team and won the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 along with the silver medal in the Summer Olympics Games 2016. He also won the Silver Boot and Bronze Ball in the Fifa Confederations Cup 2017.
