This weekend Schalke was on the way to equaling a historical negative when he appeared: a footballer who still has the trace of puberty on your face, Matthew Hoppe. At just 19 years old, The California-born forward scored a hat-trick to give his team victory against Hoffenheim and thus prevent them from chaining 31 games without winning in the Bundesliga, something that had not happened in the German League since the 1965-66 season (Tasmania Berlin).
Such was the repercussion of the Hoppe's sensational night at Schalke, which ended up taking the game 4-0, which the American footballer has focused all the media spots in the Germanic country these days. Its impact is comparable to that of Erling Haaland, who on the day of his debut with Borussia Dortmund scored three goals for his team to come back from 3-1 against and they will score the triumph.
Matthew Hoppe's was not his first game with the jersey of The miners in League, but his third ownership. It cost him a bit more, but like Haaland, who became the fastest rookie to score a hat-trick in his first game, the Schalke striker also made history by becoming the first American footballer to score a hat-trick in the Bundesliga.
With 1.91 meters high and good definition with both legs, Hoppe can play center forward, but also more heeled at the ends of the field due to his great skill with the ball and self-confidence. Saturday formed a great partnership with his teammate Harit, who gave him the three goal passes and then made the fourth.
Although after his three goals and the inevitable comparisons with Haaland, the American striker could green under the pressure, his coach Christian Gross defended that he has his head in place and an excellent attitude.
He coincided with Ansu Fati at La Masía
Hoppe was trained for two years at Barça's Residency Academy in Arizona, playing in the now defunct American Development League. After that, aged 18 in 2019, he signed for Schalke. Before that, he had the opportunity to spend two weeks at La Masía, in which he was able to share training with Ansu Fati and Konrad de la Fuente., according to the Schalke forward himself in 'Americans abroad'. Like the two mentioned Barcelona footballers, Matthew Hoppe also has his whole future ahead of him.