Rabbi Matondo believes his move to the Bundesliga will help his development after he joined Schalke in a near £10million deal from Manchester City.
The 18-year-old former Cardiff City youth player has moved to Germany in a four-and-a-half year deal hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Mesut Ozil and Leroy Sane.
Matondo never appeared for the Etihad outfit but made his Wales debut in the defeat in Albania last November.
“Before coming here I already knew a bit about Schalke,” said Matondo who scored six goals in 11 appearances for Manchester City’s Under 21s this season.
“Mesut Ozil, Ivan Rakitic and Leroy Sane all took big steps in their careers here.
“As well as that, I had some good chats with the coach and my new teammates only had good things to say.
“The Bundesliga is a great league too. Schalke is the right decision for my career and I’m happy to now be a part of this club and their future plans.”
Matondo is the latest young player to opt to make the move to Europe looking for regular first-team action and developing their game.
Matondo – regarded as a lightning-quick winger – grew up in the Tremorfa area of Cardiff and was in the Bluebirds youth set up before making the move to Manchester City
“We have been interested in Rabbi for a long time, because we are impressed with his potential,” said Schalke head coach Domenico Tedesco.
“He is extremely quick and technically strong. We can’t forget how young he is though. We will give him the time he needs to find his feet at Schalke and in the Bundesliga.”
