Alex Schalk

Alex Schalk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːlɛkˈsxɑl(ə)k]; born 7 August 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds.

Alex Schalk
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992
Place of birth Breda, Netherlands
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Team information
Current team
 Urawa Red Diamonds
Number 17
Youth career
Beek Vooruit
NAC Breda
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 NAC Breda 58 (10)
2014 → PSV (loan) 0 (0)
2014 → Jong PSV (loan) 16 (6)
2014–2015 Go Ahead Eagles 22 (4)
2015–2018 Ross County 87 (21)
2018–2022 Servette 100 (29)
2022– Urawa Red Diamonds 16 (2)
International career
2012–2013 Netherlands U20 4 (3)
2011–2013 Netherlands U21 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:46, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

He scored the winning goal for Ross County in the 2015–16 Scottish League Cup final.

Career

Schalk came through the youth ranks of NAC Breda, earning the nickname of "Der Bomber van Breda" because of his reputation as a footballer with remarkable goalscoring instincts, comparable to legendary German striker Gerd Müller.[2] On 1 May 2011, he made his senior debut for NAC against Heracles Almelo in the 33rd round of the 2010–11 Eredivisie season, replacing Ömer Bayram in the 85th minute. The match ended in a 2–1 home loss.[3] On 9 August 2011, Schalk agreed to a new two-year contract at NAC until June 2013.[4]

After losing perspective on playing matches for NAC Breda, Schalk was sent on loan to PSV, where he played for Eerste Divisie side Jong PSV. He scored six times in 16 matches for the Eerste Divisie side. On 28 June 2014, Schalk signed a one-year deal with Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles on a free transfer.

Schalk moved to Scottish Premiership club Ross County in October 2015.[5] On 13 March 2016, he scored a late winner as Ross County won their first major silverware with a 2–1 victory over Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup final.[6] On 16 April 2017, in the 88th minute of a Premiership match at home to Celtic, he won a penalty which was converted to earn Ross County a 2–2 draw. The act was described as a "clear dive" while Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers accused Schalk of "blatant cheating".[7][8] Days later, he was charged with committing an "act of simulation" and handed a two-game suspension by the Scottish Football Association's compliance officer which both he and his club accepted.[9]

After Ross County were relegated to the Scottish Championship, Schalk was allowed to leave and join the Swiss side Servette. [10] He made headlines in October 2019 after giving the middle finger to FC Sion fans after scoring a goal. As a result, he was suspended for two games.[11]

On 25 March 2022, Schalk signed with Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan.[12]

Career statistics
As of 13 August 2023 [13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
NAC Breda 2010–11 Eredivisie 1000———10
2011–12 32610———336
2012–13 20332———235
2013–14 5110———61
Total 5810520000006312
Jong PSV (loan) 2013–14 Eerste Divisie 16600———166
Go Ahead Eagles 2014–15 Eredivisie 20410——2[lower-alpha 1]0234
2015–16 Eerste Divisie 2000—2[lower-alpha 2]0—40
Total 22410002020274
Ross County 2015–16 Scottish Premiership 2554232——329
2016–17 3252043——388
2017–18 30111052——3613
Total 872172127000010630
Servette 2018–19 Swiss Challenge League 27910———289
2019–20 Swiss Super League 21710———227
2020–21 311020—1[lower-alpha 2]0—3410
2021–22 21313—1[lower-alpha 3]0—236
Total 100295300200010732
Urawa Red Diamonds 2022 J1 League 12110003[lower-alpha 4]3—164
2023 410020——61
Total 16210203300225
Career total 30072197147732034288
  1. Appearances in the Eredivisie relegation play-offs
  2. Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. Appearances in the AFC Champions League

Honours

Club

Ross County

Servette

Urawa Red Diamonds

References
  1. "Alex Schalk" (in Japanese). Urawa Red Diamonds. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  2. "'Der Bomber van Breda' Schalk blijft langer bij NAC". Voetbal International. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  3. "NAC Breda 1-2 Heracles Almelo". Voetbal International. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  4. "NAC Breda bindt talenten Schalk en Bouwman". Telegraaf. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  5. "Ross County sign Dutch striker Alex Schalk until end of season". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  6. Wilson, Richard (13 March 2016). "Scottish League Cup Final: Hibernian 1 Ross County 2". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  7. Dowden, Martin (16 April 2017). "Ross County 2-2 Celtic - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  8. "Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers accuses Ross County's Alex Schalk of 'blatant cheating'". Sky Sports. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  9. "Ross County: Alex Schalk accepts two-game suspension for diving". BBC Sport. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  10. "Alex Schalk". BN Destem. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  11. Kunz, Alain (1 November 2019). "Servette nimmt "Fall Schalk" nicht so ernst". Blick (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  12. "アレックス シャルク選手 完全移籍加入クラブ間合意のお知らせ" (Press release) (in Japanese). Urawa Red Diamonds. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  13. Alex Schalk at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  14. "Urawa Reds edge Al Hilal for historic third title". AFC. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  15. Orlowitz, Dan (6 May 2023). "Urawa beats Al Hilal to capture third Asian Champions League title". The Japan Times. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
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