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One of Europe's top football clubs has surprised fans by starting to use Welsh in social media posts.

German giants FC Schalke have recently taken to writing in the Welsh language on Twitter , much to the delight - and confusion - of many.

The Welsh tweets have been coming since the start of February, along with the hashtag #DailyWelsh on the club's USA account.

The posts to their thousands of followers feature Welsh messages along with the phonetic pronunciation, as well as translations in English and German.

Their most recent post said: "Ein cefnogwr. Our fans. Unsere Fans. 'Ein cefnogwr' are the best in the world."

(Image: Twitter)

(Image: Twitter)

While it might seem strange that a major German sports team are using Welsh, it's all for a very good - and impressively welcoming - reason.

The series of unexpected posts follows the signing of Manchester City academy and Welsh international player Rabbi Matondo, who joined at the end of January.

The winger was eligible to represent DR Congo, England or Wales at international level, but opted for the latter.

The 18-year-old was signed for £11m by FC Schalke, making him the latest young British player to join a German team.

Already a full Wales international, Matondo received his first call-up for the senior Welsh squad for a friendly against Albania in November.

FC Schalke's dedication to using Welsh has led to a cult following on social media, with many praising the team.

They are one of the biggest teams in Europe, and have appeared in both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup.

They are often top of the table in the Bundesliga, the German equivalent of the Premier League.