Schweinsteiger played for theGerman national team from 2004 to 2016. He is Germany's fourth-most-capped player of all time, having earned121 caps and scored 24 goals. He was selected in their squads for four European Championships and three World Cups, including their victory at the2014 FIFA World Cup, when he was widely regarded as one of the most important contributors in Germany's campaign, playing an especially important role in defendingLionel Messi in thefinal.[5] FollowingPhilipp Lahm's international retirement on 2 September 2014, Schweinsteiger was namedcaptain of the national team. He played his last match for Germany against Finland on 31 August 2016, after which he retired from international football.
Since his retirement as a player in 2019, Schweinsteiger has worked as an on-air football analyst for German television broadcasterARD and its weekend programmeSportschau.[6]
Club career
Bayern Munich
Schweinsteiger signed withFC Bayern Munich as a youth team player on 1 July 1998[2] and rose through the club's youth sides. A talented youth ski racer, he had to decide between pursuing a professional career in skiing or one in football.[7] Having won the German youth championship in July 2002, Schweinsteiger quickly earned a place in the reserves,[8] producing a string of solid third-division displays. He initially earned a reputation for being a rebel off the pitch, making headlines for the wrong reasons but has since settled down.[9]
During his first appearances in the titular eleven, he played left-back. After just two training sessions with the first team, coachOttmar Hitzfeld gave Schweinsteiger his debut, at the age of 18,[7] as a late substitute in aUEFA Champions League game againstRC Lens in November 2002, and the youngster made an immediate impact, creating a goal forMarkus Feulner within minutes.[10] He signed a professional contract the following month and went on to appear in 14 Bundesliga games in 2002–03, helping Bayern to a league and cup double. The next season, he played 26Bundesliga games. He scored his first Bayern goal againstVfL Wolfsburg in September 2003.[11]
Surprisingly sent back to Bayern's reserve team by new coachFelix Magath at the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Schweinsteiger swiftly returned to play a role in the double-winning campaign and scored his inauguralChampions League goal in Bayern'squarter-final first leg defeat atChelsea.[12] Over the next three seasons, up until the end of 2007–08, Schweinsteiger made 135 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich (Champions League, Bundesliga andDFB-Pokal), scoring 10 goals in the process.
On 15 August 2008, Schweinsteiger scored the first Bundesliga goal of the2008–09 season. In December that year, he extended his contract until 2012.[13] Two years later, in December 2010, he extended his contract with Bayern until 2016, with the announcement came at theAllianz Arena following a 3–0 victory overSt. Pauli.[14]
Schweinsteiger training with Bayern Munich in 2013
On 25 April 2012, Schweinsteiger scored from the last and match-clinching penalty kick againstReal Madrid to send Bayern through to the2012 UEFA Champions League Final, where they would face Chelsea. The match, played at Bayern's Allianz Arena, ended 1–1 and went to a penalty shoot-out. With the shoot-out poised at 3–3,Petr Čech tipped Schweinsteiger's shot onto the post, allowingDidier Drogba to seal the title for Chelsea with the next kick.[15]
In the 2012–13 season, Schweinsteiger performed considerably well, continuing his duties as central midfielder along with new signingJavi Martínez. On 6 April 2013, Schweinsteiger scored a backheel flick goal againstEintracht Frankfurt which sealed the Bundesliga title for Bayern.[16] The season ended on a high for Schweinsteiger, as Bayern secured atreble of Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League.[17]
Schweinsteiger received the 2013 German player of the year due to his performance for Bayern Munich.[18][19] He was described by then managerJupp Heynckes as the best midfielder in the world and Heynckes wanted either Schweinsteiger,Frank Ribéry orThomas Müller to win theBallon d'Or.[20]
He made his2014–15 season debut[23] in a 4–0 win against1899 Hoffenheim.[24] He came in forMario Götze in the 78th minute.[25] On 16 May 2015, with Bayern having already won the league, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 defeat atSC Freiburg.[26] On 23 May 2015, Schweinsteiger scored on his 500th appearance for Bayern.[27] This proved to be his last match with the club. He transferred to Manchester United on 13 July 2015,[28] having been at Bayern for 17 years.[29]
Schweinsteiger was a fan favourite at Bayern and was usually calledFußballgott (football god) by Bayern's fans.[30]
On 13 July 2015, Manchester United completed the signing of Schweinsteiger on a three-year contract for a fee of €9 million (£6.5 million).[31] Manchester United had never before fielded a German in the first team;Markus Neumayr andRon-Robert Zieler were at the club before him, but neither made it into the first team.[32] Schweinsteiger was given shirt number 23 in pre-season, but switched to 31, which he wore at Bayern, before the official start to the season.[33]
Schweinsteiger made his pre-season debut for Manchester United in a friendly match againstClub América on 17 July 2015.[34] United defeated the Mexican club 1–0 inSeattle.[35] HisPremier League debut came on 8 August, as a 60th-minute substitute forMichael Carrick as the season began with a 1–0 home victory overTottenham Hotspur, being booked eight minutes into his first appearance for a foul onNacer Chadli.[36] On 28 November he scored his first goal for the club, equalising with a header in a 1–1 draw againstLeicester City.[37]
On 7 December 2015, Schweinsteiger was punished with a three-match retrospective ban byThe Football Association for strikingWest Ham United'sWinston Reid in the throat in their meeting two days earlier.[38] In January 2016, he sustained a knee injury which sidelined him for two months, followed by medial knee ligament damage in mid-March which kept him off the field for the remainder of the season.[39]
After the arrival of new manager,José Mourinho, Schweinsteiger was demoted and sent to training with the under-23 team.[40] A number of high-profile former teammates have criticised Mourinho's handling of the matter, accusing Mourinho of showing a lack of respect for Schweinsteiger.[41] He returned to first team training towards the end of 2016, and made his first appearance since March when he came on as a late substitute in theEFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham United on 30 November 2016.[42] He made his first start in over a year in a 4–0 win in theFA Cup fourth round home tie againstWigan Athletic on 29 January 2017, in which he scored his first Old Trafford goal for Manchester United with an overhead finish.[43] For his goal, as well as his assist toMarouane Fellaini for the opening goal, he was voted "Man of the Match" by the fans.[44]
On 21 March 2017, Manchester United allowed Schweinsteiger to joinMajor League Soccer sideChicago Fire, subject to a medical and a visa being secured.[45][46][47] The move was completed on 29 March.[48] A few days later, Mourinho stated that he "regretted" the way he had treated Schweinsteiger.[49] On 1 April, Schweinsteiger debuted for Chicago Fire, scoring in a 2–2 home draw againstMontreal Impact.[50] By mid-season, he would help guide Chicago to the top of the MLS standings and be voted into the "MLS All-Star Fan XI" (along with teammateNemanja Nikolić) to face Real Madrid at the2017 MLS All-Star Game in Chicago.[51] After guiding the Fire back into the playoffs after a five-year drought, Schweinsteiger was awarded the contract option of another year in 2018.[52] Schweinsteiger netted a goal and also provided an assist toAlan Gordon's equalising goal in thestoppage time in a 2–2 draw againstToronto FC on 29 April 2018.[53] On 5 August, he scored a long-range goal to level the scoreline after coming on as a substitute in the second half, but his side were defeated in a 2–1 away loss againstReal Salt Lake.[54][55] On 11 July, Schweinsteiger scored a goal in the stoppage time and provided one assist toAleksandar Katai's goal in a 4–3 home defeat againstPhiladelphia Union.[56]
Retirement
On 8 October 2019, Schweinsteiger announced his retirement from professional football.[57] A few days after his retirement from active sports in October 2019, theARD announced that Schweinsteiger would be accompanying live broadcasts of football matches as an expert in Qatar for the next three years up to and including the2022 FIFA World Cup.[58]
International career
On 6 June 2004, Schweinsteiger debuted for theGerman senior squad in afriendly match againstHungary.[59] He was part of the Germany squad for every major tournament from UEFA Euro 2004 until Euro 2016.[7]
He scored his first two international goals on 8 June 2005 againstRussia[7] and scored his first goal in a competitive match againstTunisia on 18 June 2005 at theConfederations Cup in Germany.[63] He was called up to the2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil and shot into prominence at the tournament with his two brilliant long-range strikes in the third-place match against Portugal, which won him theMan of the Match award.[64] The match ended 3–1 with the 21-year-old nearly claiming a hat-trick but his deflected free kick was credited as an own goal toArmando Petit.[65]
Euro 2008
DuringEuro 2008 qualifiers, Schweinsteiger scored two goals en route to a record 13–0 win overSan Marino in San Marino.[66] He scored the third goal in Germany's 4–1 win overSlovakia in Bratislava.[67]
Schweinsteiger lost his place in the starting 11 when Germany managerJoachim Löw moved strikerLukas Podolski to Schweinsteiger's usual position on the left wing to accommodate the strike partnership ofMiroslav Klose andMario Gómez, and he made two substitute appearances in the group stage. In the second match againstCroatia, he was shown a straight red card for reacting to a challenge fromJerko Leko as Germany succumbed to a shock 2–1 defeat.[68] After serving his suspension by missing the game againstAustria, he returned to the starting line-up in the quarterfinal against Portugal, as Löw reverted to the old 4–4–2 formation when Gómez was benched after failing to make an impression. Once again he was instrumental in Germany's 3–2 win, scoring one goal and setting up the other two.[69] He also scored his country's first goal in the 3–2 semifinal victory againstTurkey.[70] He captained the team for the first time in a friendly against theUnited Arab Emirates.
Schweinsteiger featured often in2010 World Cup qualifying, playing nine of the 10 games and contributing three goals. He started in Germany's third pre-warm-up game vs. Bosnia on 3 June 2010, and scored two penalties in a 3–1 victory in the space of four minutes, but in the 87th minute he was substituted off for Bayern Munich teammateToni Kroos.[71]
During the2010 FIFA World Cup, Schweinsteiger was charged with replacing the injuredMichael Ballack at the centre of midfield. He performed admirably in this role, adding valuable leadership and international experience to a very young German side. He was vital to both the German attack and defence, as was apparent when he was named the Man of the Match after the quarter-final match againstArgentina, where he provided two assists while also managing to containLionel Messi.[72] Germany subsequently lost toSpain in the semi-finals.[73] Germany was able to rally for a 3–2 victory overUruguay in the third-place match, and, withPhilipp Lahm resting on the bench because of illness, Schweinsteiger served as captain.[74]
Overall, Schweinsteiger recorded three assists in seven matches in South Africa, which tied him for the most assists in the finals withDirk Kuyt,Kaká,Thomas Müller andMesut Özil.[75] In recognition of his excellent play throughout the tournament, he was chosen as one of 10 finalists for the prestigiousGolden Ball, awarded to the most outstanding player of the tournament.[76]
Euro 2012
Schweinsteiger established himself as first choice as defensive midfielder in Germany'squalifying group. He played five matches – once against each opponent:Belgium,Azerbaijan,Kazakhstan,Austria andTurkey – and helped Germany win 10 out of 10 games, scoring once and providing one assist.
After making a substitute appearance in the team's second match againstGhana, Schweinsteiger was selected to start in the third group game against theUnited States.[79] He retained his place in the team for Germany'sround of 16 match, a 2–1 win againstAlgeria. He was instrumental in the World Cup finals against Argentina and led the mid-field with sweeping passes for the German attack. Germany won the World Cup final 1–0 throughMario Götze's 113th-minute goal.[80]
Euro 2016 and retirement
Prior to the start of qualification, Schweinsteiger was appointed as the new captain for Germany afterPhilipp Lahm's retirement.[81] On 23 March 2016 he sustained damage on his knee while he was training with the national team which made him miss the rest of the Premier League season but he recovered just in time to be selected for Germany's 27-man provisional squad forUEFA Euro 2016. On 31 May, Schweinsteiger was selected for Germany's final 23-man squad forUEFA Euro 2016. During this time, Schweinsteiger also took part in a collaboration between theGerman Football Association andThe LEGO Group, who in 2016 released a Europe-exclusivecollectible minifigure series, with Schweinsteiger featured as the seventh of sixteenminifigures in the collection.[82]
On 12 June 2016, Schweinsteiger scored in stoppage time after coming on late in a 2–0 group stage victory over Ukraine.[83] Nine days later, Schweinsteiger set a new record for German player with the most appearances in aEuropean Championship match.[84] After the tournament, Schweinsteiger announced his retirement from competitive international football, having played in 120 games, scoring 24 goals.[85] One month later, he participated in his last ever international appearance for Germany, againstFinland in a friendly match.[86] He was succeeded as captain byManuel Neuer.[87]
Style of play
Schweinsteiger largely operated in thecentre, but he was versatile enough to provide an option on thewing, either on the left or right flank. During his years with Bayern, he was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. Schweinsteiger possessed a fearsome shot from range, as well as excellentcrossing and a wicked delivery fromset-pieces, while his boundless energy also served him well.[88][89] Described as a "two-way player" by Nick Amies, he was also used in a variety of other roles, including as aholding midfielder, as anattacking midfielder, in abox-to-box role, as a playmaker, and in adeep-lying midfield role.[90][91][92][93][94] A powerful, physical, and elegant player, who also possessed good technique, skill, passing ability, vision, and creativity, Schweinsteiger was known for his ability to control and dictate the flow of his team's play in midfield, build attacks, and create chances for his teammates with his distribution.[90][91][92][93][95][96][97] Dubbed the "Midfield Motor",[98] Schweinsteiger was also a superb reader of the game and scored spectacularly due to his good positioning. He was called "the brain" of the German national team by coachJoachim Löw,[99] and was also described as a "midfield mastermind".[100]
Beyond his offensive and creative capabilities, he was also known for his defensive skills, work-rate, and tackling ability.[101] For his performances, he was voted as the best German player of the year in 2013.[100]Jonathan Wilson, when writing forThe Guardian during the same year, labelled Schweinsteiger as a type holding midfielder that he described as a "carrier" or "surger," namely "a player capable of making late runs or carrying the ball at his feet."[102] During his time with Chicago, Schweinsteiger was also occasionally deployed as acentral defender orsweeper in a three-man back-line, in addition to his usual role in midfield, courtesy of his vision and defensive skills; in this deeper role, he was not only given defensive responsibilities, such as marking opposing players, but was also given offensive duties, and was tasked with playing the ball out from the back, retaining possession, advancing into midfield, and controlling the play.[103][104][105] Because of Schweinsteiger's wide range of skills, his former Chicago Fire manager,Veljko Paunović, described him upon his retirement in 2019 as "unique and special," also commenting: "He's a complete player, a total player. In Germany, where they know him even better than us, they call him a 'Fussballgott' [a "football god," in German] because he represents everything."[106]
Personal life
Schweinsteiger is a Roman Catholic.[107] He is known to fans as "Schweini" or "Basti", the latter to distinguish him from his elder brother,Tobias, a professional footballer who also played for Bayern Munich, albeit in thereserve team.[108] Schweinsteiger was in a relationship with model Sarah Brandner from 2007 until July 2014.[109] They lived in Munich together.[110]
In September 2014, he began a relationship with Serbian tennis playerAna Ivanovic.[109][111] The couple married on 12 July 2016 inVenice, Italy.[112] They have two sons, born in 2018[113][114] and 2019.[115] In February 2023, the couple announced that they were expecting their third child together.[116]
Schweinsteiger was a talented ski racer and is childhood friends withFelix Neureuther.[117]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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