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Many had already written it off.

At least in this difficult season, the inexperienced boy is no help, so the tenor.

Matthew Hoppe has been under contract with Schalke 04 for a year and a half.

In the summer of 2019, the attacker came to Gelsenkirchen from the Barca Residency Academy in Arizona, the North American talent factory of FC Barcelona.

In his 16 missions he had just scored one goal - as a substitute in the regional league team, mind you.

And so the 19-year-old Californian had no one on the list when the public discussed, as so often in the past few weeks, who would be able to end the Schalke series of 30 games without a win.

Reaching the historic Tasmania mark in Berlin was only 90 minutes away against TSG Hoffenheim.

Although - or perhaps because - coach Christian Gross relied on Hoppe for his lost premiere in Berlin, the American with German roots didn't seem to play a role.

Sky reporter Dirk Große Schlarmann also justified his likely Schalke line-up for the Hoffenheim game with a reference to the 0: 3 at Hertha BSC: “The Schalke team had tried Matthew Hoppe.

Oh, ey!

It's just not suitable for the Bundesliga, ”he said on the Saturday before the game on Sky.

Clear verdict: Dirk Große Schlarmann has been dealing with FC Schalke 04 for "Sky" for many years

Source: pa / augenklick / firo Sportphoto / Ralf Ibing

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The player with the shirt number 43 had previously been able to recommend himself four times: on November 28, at 1: 4 in Mönchengladbach, he celebrated his debut in the starting XI under Manuel Baum, against Leverkusen (0: 3) and Freiburg (0: 2) he was substituted on, against Hertha he stormed again from the beginning.

He had hardly given cause for hope.

Hoppe scored five hat tricks in one season

And yet Gross again relied on Hoppe (read: Hoppie) against Hoffenheim - and was rewarded at most: 4-0, three goals by the Nobody.

After the longed-for liberation, Schalke's coach was correspondingly satisfied: “I'm very happy for the team and especially for our fans.

With the 1-0 win, the team gained even more confidence.

Hoppe had a terrific day that he will always remember. "

An achievement that also forced Sky man Dirk Große Schlarmann to send a fresh tweet: “#Schalke - my dear Matthew Hoppe - I hereby expressly apologize - I just have no idea”.

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Hoppe had missed the first chance after good preparatory work by the playful Amine Harit.

But at the next attempt shortly before the break it worked: The ball came to the Schalke attacker via Kolasinac and Harit, which TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann overcame with a nice lob (42).

Schalke hero: Goal scorer Matthew Hoppe (right) is celebrated by Ozan Kabak

Source: dpa / Guido Kirchner

After the move, he added hit number two (57th) and three (63rd).

The game was decided, Tasmania no longer an issue.

“I have no words for it.

The first goal was the easiest, I think, it was just an instinctive act, "said Hoppe:" You could see that we fought for 90 minutes.

That was nice to see.

I hope the team can keep fighting, stay confident and hold onto the league. "

But he wants to continue helping with energy after an American's first hat trick in the Bundesliga.

Maybe soon with the next pack of three.

In his last season before moving to Germany, he did five hat-tricks in the USA.

If big Schlarmann has its way, more Schalke professionals could soon show a significant increase in performance.

"In this case I am happy to be wrong," tweeted the reporter in conclusion on the Hoppe issue, but is now considering further steps: "I should consider triggering all the players one by one."