Heartbroken Michel Bastos carries Schalke's hopes for Bundesliga
Bastos was reported to have been approached by Napoli, Spartak Moscow and Olympiakos having wanted to leave Lyon after his wife and five-year-old son were the victims of an armed robbery at their home in 2012.
Brazil midfielder Michel Bastos, who has been signed to patch up Schalke's Bundesliga form and carry their Champions League hopes, has seen his career plagued by tragedy.
The defensive midfielder, who has joined on loan from Lyon in France, played every game of Brazil's 2010 World Cup campaign at left-back, but no longer features for the Selecao.
Bastos was reported to have been approached by Napoli, Spartak Moscow and Olympiakos having wanted to leave Lyon after his wife and five-year-old son were the victims of an armed robbery at their home in 2012.
Named after Uefa president Michel Platini, Bastos has said his guardian angel was his twin brother Daniel, who was killed on August 1, 1987, one day before their fourth birthday, after he was run over by a neighbour in a tragic accident.
"It's still an open wound on the heart of the whole family," said Bastos, who has his brother's named tattooed on his arm.
The player, who first went to Europe as an 18-year-old when he joined Feyenoord in 2001, could make his debut for Schalke tomorrow at home to bottom side Greuther Fuerth.