August 3 2018

Max Meyer

German playmaker Max Meyer is one of the Premier League's biggest signings this summer. Here's 10 things you may not know about Crystal Palace's new boy.

1. Maximilian Meyer was born in 1995 in Oberhausen – a former German industrial powerhouse. Apart from having Europe’s largest shopping centre, the city is best known for being the former home of Paul, the psychic octopus from the 2010 World Cup.

2. Aged 18, the attacking midfielder was given Schalke's number 7 jersey that was previously occupied by Spanish great Raul.

3. Despite his emerging talent, the 18-year-old was happy to stay living at home with his parents. "I'm happy here because my parents take care of everything for me," he said. "I never tidy my room and my mother moans about it all the time, but she's got to come to terms with it if she wants me to stay at home."

4. He has represented Germany from U15 all the way to U21 levels and captained the Olympic team in 2016, where they finished runners-up.

5. The midfielder once gave 'the €20m pass' which was coined by the media after he set up Julian Draxler to net the goal that secured Champions League qualification proper for Schalke against PAOK.

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6. Newspaper reports from Germany claimed that Tottenham made a bid of £39m for Meyer in 2016. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have frequently been linked with the wonder kid, while Palace have nabbed him on a free.

7. Schalke manager Domenico Tedesco got the best out of Meyer by switching him from the No.10 role to play as a defensive midfielder. Mayer thrived in this position and was superb in finding teammates with precision passes and unlocking defences.

8. Meyer had an 89 per cent pass completion rate last term, with only Bayern Munich trio Thiago, Corentin Tolisso and James Rodriguez producing better stats of the midfielders who attempted over 1,000 passes.

9. He was suspended for the final month of last season after criticising sporting director Christian Heidel following a breakdown in contract talks. He said: "I simply did not want to stay with Schalke and work under Heidel. It's all about this."

10. His excellent dribbling ability, which he owes to playing futsal as a kid, earned him the 'German Messi' nickname and he's someone Meyer looks up to. "He is my role model. I can learn a lot from him," Meyer said. "He is the best player in the world and always remains humble."