Inside Germany’s football factory

In fact Elgert receives a text message during the interview — he smiles as he shows the caller ID that reads “Ozil, Mesut”.

“He was playing an Under-17 trial here, which I was overseeing as part of a school project,” said Elgert.

“It wasn’t just the way he controlled the ball with great technique, it was the way he could read the game.

“He was always looking where his players were and making good decisions.”

Elgert persuaded Ozil to join the academy at Schalke, where he made his senior debut in 2006, leaving two years later for Werder Bremen in a deal worth five million euros ($5.8m).

He went on to Real Madrid and when he joined Arsenal from the Spanish giants in 2013, Ozil cost 47 million euros.

Elgert looks pained when discussing Neuer, arguably the world’s top goalkeeper who is currently sidelined with a fractured foot.

“It’s just a huge pity, he lives for football and just wants to play football,” said Elgert.

“I don’t worry about him. Of all the people this could have happened to, he will come back and be in his best form for Russia” and the World Cup finals.

– ‘Welcome home’ –

“I have known ‘Manu’ since he was 10 or 12 years old,” Elgert recalled.

“He wasn’t fixed in the goalkeeper position then, he trained and played as an outfield player.

“He was obsessed with football, in a positive way, he took tremendous pleasure in playing football.

“You could see his ambition by the time he reached the Under-19 team.

“He wasn’t first-choice, someone else was playing goalkeeper.

“I said to him: ‘Manu, with your talent you can decide for yourself when you play.’

“He quickly became the first-choice for our Under-19 team, but also for Germany.”

Doesn’t it hurt when, after years of investing time and resources in players, they pack their bags for bigger clubs?

“When they leave, your heart bleeds. Sead, for example, developed well here, but on the other side you are pleased for him,” admitted Elgert.

“I’d rather see him here, like a lot of ‘Schalkers’, but I am pleased to see he has found his feet and is helping his team.”

Schalke are currently mediocre and firmly a mid-table side in the Bundesliga.

“It would have been an interesting team here if all the boys had stayed,” Elgert said.

“We could have challenged the likes of Bayern Munich, but that is the past and the club (Schalke) profited from those who left financially.

“You only have a career for a short period of time.

“The boys who left, like Manu, will always have a bit of Schalke in them.

“When they return to visit, I always greet them with ‘welcome home’.”