# Max Meyer (footballer)
**Max Meyer** (Maximilian Meyer, born 1995 in [Oberhausen](https://www.edgepedia.org/oberhausen)) is a German professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder. He rose through Schalke 04's academy to become a [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga) regular, a Germany international, and a silver medalist at the 2016 Olympic tournament, before a peripatetic later career took him to Crystal Palace, Fenerbahçe, FC Luzern, and APOEL Nicosia.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164) • [2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, born | Maximilian Meyer, 1995, Oberhausen, Germany[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164) |
| Position, physique | Central midfield (also defensive and attacking midfield), 1.73 m, right-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164) |
| Schalke 04 record | 190 first-team games from 30 October 2012 to 30 June 2018, including 146 Bundesliga games with 17 goals[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler) |
| Youth honors | German A-Junior championship with Schalke's U19 side in 2012[3](https://www.rwo1904.de/nachrichten/profis/24368/max-meyer-kommt-nach-hause-sein-weg-zuruck-zum-kleeblatt) |
| International honors | U21 European champion 2017 in Poland; Olympic silver medal 2016 in Rio; 4 senior caps, 1 goal[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler) |
| Later clubs | Crystal Palace (2018–2021), 1. FC Köln (2021), Fenerbahçe (2021), FC Midtjylland on loan (2022), FC Luzern (2022), APOEL Nicosia (2024)[4](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/max-meyer-5460) |
| Status | Without a club since 1 July 2026; most league games played for Schalke[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164) |
## Youth career
Meyer began playing at five years old with his hometown club FC Sardegna Oberhausen, then moved through Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and [MSV Duisburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/msv-duisburg) before joining [FC Schalke 04](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-schalke-04) at age 14 in 2009.[5](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Max%2BMeyer/01/8775) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164) [Borussia Dortmund](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-dortmund) were also interested in the 14-year-old, but he chose Schalke.[6](https://amp.dw.com/en/bundesliga-teenager-meyer-is-one-of-schalkes-few-bright-spots/a-18376948) He had started out playing futsal, a small-sided variant played with a heavier ball, which is one suggested source of his close ball control; he described himself as having played four to five hours a day as a child.[6](https://amp.dw.com/en/bundesliga-teenager-meyer-is-one-of-schalkes-few-bright-spots/a-18376948)
At Schalke he registered for the U19 side from January 2012 and won the German A-Junior championship with the club's under-19s in 2012.[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler) • [3](https://www.rwo1904.de/nachrichten/profis/24368/max-meyer-kommt-nach-hause-sein-weg-zuruck-zum-kleeblatt) He came up through an academy that also produced [Mesut Özil](https://www.edgepedia.org/mesut-ozil), Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Höwedes, and [Julian Draxler](https://www.edgepedia.org/julian-draxler).[7](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/General/02/08/65/16/2086516_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
## FC Schalke 04
Meyer made his Schalke first-team debut on 30 October 2012, at 17, and stayed with the club through the 2017/18 season, totaling 190 competitive appearances, 22 goals, and 19 assists in the club's records.[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler) • [18](https://datencenter.dfb.de/en/data-center/people/max-meyer/player) His Bundesliga output across six seasons was 146 league games with 17 goals and 12 assists.[8](https://fbref.com/en/players/eba42d2b/Max-Meyer) He was handed the number 7 shirt previously worn by Raúl when he was 18.[9](https://www.goal.com/en/news/can-the-german-messi-max-meyer-prove-his-worth-at-crystal-palace/1pkkqoqudh9aw1d2spu3srb3tz)
**A teenage regular.** His first senior international cap came at 18, before he had played for the U21s, a measure of the regard he was held in as a teenager. He started 21 of 30 league games in 2013/14, when he averaged three dribbles per game as an agile attacking midfielder.[10](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11279955/max-meyer-to-the-premier-league-in-demand-schalke-midfielder-assessed) A 2015 [Deutsche Welle](https://www.edgepedia.org/deutsche-welle) profile described a small-statured, ball-carrying midfielder with a powerful shot who drew premature comparisons to [Mario Götze](https://www.edgepedia.org/mario-gotze) and [Lionel Messi](https://www.edgepedia.org/lionel-messi).[6](https://amp.dw.com/en/bundesliga-teenager-meyer-is-one-of-schalkes-few-bright-spots/a-18376948)
**Reinvention as a holding midfielder.** Under coach [Domenico Tedesco](https://www.edgepedia.org/domenico-tedesco) in 2017/18, Meyer was converted to the classic number 6 role, breaking up counterattacks and retaining possession. His pass accuracy of 89.5 percent was the best in the Schalke squad and seventh in the Bundesliga, and his per-game averages for tackles (1.9) and interceptions (2.6) were more than double any previous league season; only Augsburg's Daniel Baier won possession in the midfield third more often that season.[10](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11279955/max-meyer-to-the-premier-league-in-demand-schalke-midfielder-assessed) He rejected a new Schalke contract and left on a free transfer at the end of the season, having helped the club finish as Bundesliga runners-up in 2017/18.[10](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11279955/max-meyer-to-the-premier-league-in-demand-schalke-midfielder-assessed) • [11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45052446)
## Crystal Palace and later club career
Crystal Palace signed Meyer on a free transfer in August 2018 after his Schalke contract expired.[11](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45052446) The club's announcement called him a former "German Messi" and the hottest free agent on the market, and his agent Roger Wittmann had promoted him to Schalke's sporting director as a "world-class player"; Schalke finished runners-up the previous season while Palace had placed 11th in the Premier League.[12](https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article181292036/Max-Meyer-Ex-Bundesliga-Profi-sieht-Crystal-Palace-staerker-als-Schalke-04.html) He made his Premier League debut as a seven-minute substitute against Liverpool on 20 August 2018.[12](https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article181292036/Max-Meyer-Ex-Bundesliga-Profi-sieht-Crystal-Palace-staerker-als-Schalke-04.html) Over three league seasons at Palace he made 46 appearances, and in December 2018 he won the penalty (fouled by [Kyle Walker](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-walker)) that [Luka Milivojević](https://www.edgepedia.org/luka-milivojevic) converted in Palace's 3–2 win over Manchester City at the Etihad.[8](https://fbref.com/en/players/eba42d2b/Max-Meyer) • [13](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2018/dec/23/kt.pdf) He left Palace by mutual consent in January 2021.[4](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/max-meyer-5460)
His subsequent moves came in quick succession: 1. FC Köln in January 2021, where he played 12 games including the Bundesliga relegation playoff; Fenerbahçe in September 2021; a loan to [FC Midtjylland](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-midtjylland) in February 2022, with whom he won the Danish DBU Pokalen cup in 2021/22; [FC Luzern](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-luzern) in August 2022 for a reported €550,000, where he made 65 league appearances over two seasons; and APOEL Nicosia on a free transfer in July 2024.[4](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/max-meyer-5460) • [2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler) • [8](https://fbref.com/en/players/eba42d2b/Max-Meyer) After an agent change away from Roger Wittmann, a return to the then second-division Schalke was briefly discussed in 2025, but no move materialized, and he has been without a club since 1 July 2026.[14](https://www.sport1.de/news/internationaler-fussball/2026/07/die-odyssee-geht-weiter) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164) In 2026 he returned to his early club Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, the club announced under the heading "Max Meyer comes home."[3](https://www.rwo1904.de/nachrichten/profis/24368/max-meyer-kommt-nach-hause-sein-weg-zuruck-zum-kleeblatt)
## International career
Meyer represented Germany at every youth level from U15 upward, including 24 U21 caps, and won the U21 European Championship in Poland in 2017.[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler) He was named to Germany's 18-man squad for the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the tournament is restricted to under-23 players with limited exceptions.[15](https://as.com/us/2016/07/15/futbol/1468607372_263870.html)
In the final against Brazil at the Maracanã, Meyer scored Germany's goal in the 59th minute, finding himself open in the goal box and finishing from a cross to level the match at 1–1. Brazil won the gold medal 5–4 on penalties after extra time, leaving Germany with silver.[16](https://time.com/4460495/neymar-brazil-soccer-gold-rio-2016-olympics/) He went on to win 4 senior caps with 1 goal, all in 2016, in World Cup qualification and friendly matches.[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler)
## Playing style and reputation
Meyer's early profile was that of a technical, dribbling number 10, and Tedesco's 2017/18 redeployment added a defensive dimension that made him one of the Bundesliga's leading ball-winners in the middle third.[6](https://amp.dw.com/en/bundesliga-teenager-meyer-is-one-of-schalkes-few-bright-spots/a-18376948) • [10](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11279955/max-meyer-to-the-premier-league-in-demand-schalke-midfielder-assessed) His self-confidence was noted from his teenage years; he told DW in 2015, "I don't doubt myself right now. I know what I'm capable of."[6](https://amp.dw.com/en/bundesliga-teenager-meyer-is-one-of-schalkes-few-bright-spots/a-18376948) Sky Sports' German correspondent Max Bielefeld said in 2018 that Meyer was "without doubt a really talented guy" who had "one good season with Schalke" but suffered from "a completely wrong self-assessment."[17](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11443137/max-meyer-former-schalke-wonderkid-without-a-club)
His departure from Schalke was contentious.
## References
1. [Max Meyer – Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/max-meyer/profil/spieler/146164)
2. [Max Meyer – Spielerprofil, DFB Datencenter](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/max-meyer/spieler)
3. [Max Meyer kommt nach Hause: Sein Weg zurück zum Kleeblatt, SC Rot-Weiß Oberhausen](https://www.rwo1904.de/nachrichten/profis/24368/max-meyer-kommt-nach-hause-sein-weg-zuruck-zum-kleeblatt)
4. [Max Meyer (Free Agent) – Bio, stats and news, 365Scores](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/max-meyer-5460)
5. [Max Meyer – Munzinger Biographie](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Max%2BMeyer/01/8775)
6. [Max Meyer: Up-and-Comer, Deutsche Welle (2015)](https://amp.dw.com/en/bundesliga-teenager-meyer-is-one-of-schalkes-few-bright-spots/a-18376948)
7. [UEFA Youth League 2013/14 finals programme, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/General/02/08/65/16/2086516_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
8. [Max Meyer – Stats, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/eba42d2b/Max-Meyer)
9. [Max Meyer transfer: Can the 'German Messi' prove world class at Crystal Palace?, Goal.com](https://www.goal.com/en/news/can-the-german-messi-max-meyer-prove-his-worth-at-crystal-palace/1pkkqoqudh9aw1d2spu3srb3tz)
10. [Max Meyer to the Premier League? In-demand Schalke midfielder assessed, Sky Sports (2018)](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11279955/max-meyer-to-the-premier-league-in-demand-schalke-midfielder-assessed)
11. [Max Meyer: Crystal Palace sign Germany midfielder from Schalke, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45052446)
12. [Max Meyer: Ex-Bundesliga-Profi sieht Crystal Palace stärker als Schalke 04, WELT](https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article181292036/Max-Meyer-Ex-Bundesliga-Profi-sieht-Crystal-Palace-staerker-als-Schalke-04.html)
13. [Man City stunned by Crystal Palace, Kuwait Times (23 December 2018)](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2018/dec/23/kt.pdf)
14. [Max Meyer ist mal wieder ohne Verein, Sport1 (July 2026)](https://www.sport1.de/news/internationaler-fussball/2026/07/die-odyssee-geht-weiter)
15. [Alemania llevará a Río 2016 hasta a un campeón del mundo, AS](https://as.com/us/2016/07/15/futbol/1468607372_263870.html)
16. [The Shot That Healed A Nation, TIME (2016)](https://time.com/4460495/neymar-brazil-soccer-gold-rio-2016-olympics/)
17. [Max Meyer: Former Schalke wonderkid without a club, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11443137/max-meyer-former-schalke-wonderkid-without-a-club)
18. [Max Meyer - Player profile - DFB data center](https://datencenter.dfb.de/en/data-center/people/max-meyer/player)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › German footballers born 1995 onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license