Bastian Schweinsteiger is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
45 Facts About Bastian Schweinsteiger
2.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, due to his tactical awareness, positioning, passing and due to his ability to read and control the flow of the game.
3.
Bastian Schweinsteiger spent 17 seasons at Bayern Munich, playing in exactly 500 matches across all competitions and scoring 68 goals.
4.
Bastian Schweinsteiger joined Manchester United in 2015, playing sparingly for 18 months before moving to Chicago Fire.
5.
Bastian Schweinsteiger announced his retirement from playing in October 2019.
6.
Bastian Schweinsteiger played for the German national team from 2004 to 2016.
7.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is Germany's fourth-most-capped player of all time, having earned 121 caps and scored 24 goals.
8.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was selected in their squads for four European Championships and three World Cups, including their victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
9.
Bastian Schweinsteiger played his last match for Germany against Finland on 31 August 2016, after which he retired from international football.
10.
Bastian Schweinsteiger signed with FC Bayern Munich as a youth team player on 1 July 1998 and rose through the club's youth sides.
11.
Bastian Schweinsteiger initially earned a reputation for being a rebel off the pitch, making headlines for the wrong reasons but has since settled down.
12.
Bastian Schweinsteiger scored his first Bayern goal against VfL Wolfsburg in September 2003.
13.
On 25 April 2012, Bastian Schweinsteiger scored from the last and match-clinching penalty kick against Real Madrid to send Bayern through to the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, where they would face Chelsea.
14.
On 6 April 2013, Bastian Schweinsteiger scored a backheel flick goal against Eintracht Frankfurt which sealed the Bundesliga title for Bayern.
15.
Bastian Schweinsteiger received the 2013 German player of the year due to his performance for Bayern Munich.
16.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was described by then manager Jupp Heynckes as the best midfielder in the world and Heynckes wanted either Schweinsteiger, Ribery or Thomas Muller to win the Ballon d'Or.
17.
Bastian Schweinsteiger came in for Mario Gotze in the 78th minute.
18.
On 23 May 2015, Bastian Schweinsteiger scored on his 500th appearance for Bayern.
19.
Bastian Schweinsteiger transferred to Manchester United on 13 July 2015, having been at Bayern for 17 years.
20.
Bastian 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.
21.
Bastian Schweinsteiger made his pre-season debut for Manchester United in a friendly match against Club America on 17 July 2015.
22.
On 7 December 2015, Bastian Schweinsteiger was punished with a three-match retrospective ban by The Football Association for striking West Ham United's Winston Reid in the throat in their meeting two days earlier.
23.
Bastian Schweinsteiger 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 the EFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham United on 30 November 2016.
24.
On 21 March 2017, Manchester United allowed Bastian Schweinsteiger to join Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire, subject to a medical and a visa being secured.
25.
On 8 October 2019, Bastian Schweinsteiger announced his retirement from professional football.
26.
Bastian Schweinsteiger made his international debut in June 2004 in a friendly against Hungary and earned 121 caps before his retirement from international football in 2016.
27.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was part of the Germany squad for every major tournament from UEFA Euro 2004 until Euro 2016.
28.
Bastian Schweinsteiger scored his first two international goals on 8 June 2005 against Russia and scored his first goal in a competitive match against Tunisia on 18 June 2005 at the Confederations Cup in Germany.
29.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was called up to the 2006 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 the Man of the Match award.
30.
Bastian Schweinsteiger lost his place in the starting 11 when Germany manager Joachim Low moved striker Lukas Podolski to Bastian Schweinsteiger's usual position on the left wing to accommodate the strike partnership of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez, and he made two substitute appearances in the group stage.
31.
Bastian Schweinsteiger captained the team for the first time in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates.
32.
Bastian Schweinsteiger featured often in 2010 World Cup qualifying, playing nine of the 10 games and contributing three goals.
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Bastian Schweinsteiger performed admirably in this role, adding valuable leadership and international experience to a very young German side.
34.
Bastian Schweinsteiger 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 against Argentina, where he provided two assists while managing to contain Lionel Messi.
35.
Bastian Schweinsteiger established himself as first choice as defensive midfielder in Germany's qualifying group.
36.
Bastian Schweinsteiger made five appearances as Germany qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
37.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was instrumental in the World Cup finals against Argentina and led the mid-field with sweeping passes for the German attack.
38.
On 31 May, Bastian Schweinsteiger was selected for Germany's final 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016.
39.
Nine days later, Bastian Schweinsteiger set a new record for German player with the most appearances in a European Championship match.
40.
Bastian Schweinsteiger largely operated in the centre, but he was versatile enough to provide an option on the wing, either on the left or right flank.
41.
Bastian Schweinsteiger possessed a fearsome shot from range, as well as excellent crossing and a wicked delivery from set-pieces, while his boundless energy serves him well.
42.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was called "the brain" of the German national team by coach Joachim Low, and was described as a "midfield mastermind".
43.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is known to fans as "Schweini" or "Basti", the latter to distinguish him from his elder brother, Tobias, a professional footballer who played for Bayern Munich, albeit in the reserve team.
44.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was in a relationship with model Sarah Brandner from 2007 until July 2014.
45.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was a talented ski racer and is childhood friends with Felix Neureuther.