Matthias Tillmann
Appearances
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
It was in 1994. And since then, I bought one or two jerseys every year, always with a favorite player. So I collect jerseys, so I have a lot.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
So I wake up every day at 6 a.m. So that's the same every single day. But I have four kids. So yeah, you have to get up and bring them to school, to kindergarten, and then I drive here. So it's like 30, 35 minute drive for me. And then normally I arrive here, I have one other colleague in the management board and we discuss the most important things of the day.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
And yeah, then obviously as a CEO, you have a lot to manage.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
A lot of people in this region, they spend every penny they have on this club and spend all their time for this club. And yeah, that's why this club is more than just football.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
Five years ago, we had debt around $200 million, $220 million. But the value of our squad was also 200 million. Today, the value of the squad is around 20 million, but we still carry 160 million debt. So the ratio has changed. And we are coming from a time where we had over 300 million in revenue to where we have just over 100. What a nightmare.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
What I think is important that you don't lose your DNA. And I think that is, in Schalke, it's very important. Like what I said in the beginning, like everybody knows where we're coming from. Our roots are here in that region from the coal mining. And I think for us, it's very important to be the club of the region for the people in the region. And the values have not changed.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
They're still the same hardworking people. And you have to honor that.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
Investors come and go. They want to make money, they have whatever their interest is. But people here will stay. There's a saying here that players will come and go, even CEOs will come and go, but we will stay. It's us. And that's why we have to determine the future and not other people. And once you're on that ship, you feel the energy.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
Blood Empty: How a Beloved Team Made a Deal with the Devil
That's why I think when you are there in the stadium, it's a different atmosphere because people know that's our ship and we can determine the direction. And that, I think, makes a big difference.