Schalke's Uchida signs contract extension to 2018
BERLIN (Reuters) - Schalke 04 fullback Atsuto Uchida signed a three-year extension to his deal with Champions League club Schalke 04 on Thursday that will keep the Japan international at the Ruhr valley club until 2018.
Uchida, who joined in 2010 from Japan's Kashima Antlers, has played a total of 132 games for the Royal Blues, scoring twice and winning the German Cup in 2011.
"We have succeeded in tying Atsuto to the club for a longer period of time, a player who is extremely dependable and plays consistently for a longer period of time at a good level."
Schalke are 12th in the Bundesliga after a rocky start and are second in their Champions League group with five points from three games so far.
"Schalke are a special club with wonderful fans who have always supported me," said the 26-year-old right back, who has played at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups with Japan. "I want to keep paying them back with good performances in the coming years."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
