Bastian Schweinsteiger

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"Schweinsteiger" redirects here. For his older brother, also a footballer, see Tobias Schweinsteiger.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger 20120609.jpg
Schweinsteiger in the match between Germany and Portugal during UEFA Euro 2012
Personal information
Full name Bastian Schweinsteiger[1]
Date of birth (1984-08-01) 1 August 1984 (age 28)
Place of birth Kolbermoor, West Germany
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Playing position Central midfielder
Club information
Current club Bayern Munich
Number 31
Youth career
1990–1992 FV Oberaudorf
1992–1998 TSV 1860 Rosenheim
1998–2002 Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002–2004 Bayern Munich II 34 (2)
2002– Bayern Munich 299 (36)
National team‡
2004 Germany U21 7 (2)
2004– Germany 98 (23)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:48, 18 May 2013 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:28, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Bastian Schweinsteiger (pronounced [ˈbasti̯an ˈʃvaɪnʃtaɪɡɐ] ( listen)) (born 1 August 1984) is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role. Schweinsteiger has won many awards in his club and international careers, including six Bundesliga titles, five German Cups, and two League Cups.[3] As of January 2011, he is the Bayern Munich vice-captain to long-time teammate Philipp Lahm.[4]

Contents

Club career [edit]

Schweinsteiger signed with 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. Having won the German youth championship in July 2002, Schweinsteiger quickly earned a place in the reserves, 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.[5]

A left midfielder who can also play on the right, he has excellent dribbling skills and is a specialist at set pieces. Schweinsteiger also has a hard shot and often scores from outside the penalty area. He can play as a defensive midfielder or just behind the strikers. During his first appearances in the titular eleven, he played left-back. After just two training sessions with the first team, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld gave Schweinsteiger his debut as a late substitute in a UEFA Champions League game against RC Lens in November 2002, and the youngster made an immediate impact, creating a goal for Markus Feulner within minutes. 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 26 Bundesliga games. He scored his first Bayern goal against VfL Wolfsburg in September 2003.

Surprisingly sent back to Bayern's reserve team by new coach Felix Magath at the beginning of the 2005–06 season despite his international exploits of the summer in the Confederations Cup, Schweinsteiger swiftly returned to play a role in the double-winning campaign and scored in Bayern's Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat at Chelsea.

Over the next three seasons, up until the end of 2007–08, Schweinsteiger made 135 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich (UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup), scoring 10 goals in the process.

On 15 August 2008, Schweinsteiger scored the first Bundesliga goal of the 2008–09 season. In December 2010, he extended his contract with Bayern until 2016.[6]

On 25 April 2012, Schweinsteiger scored from the last and match-clinching penalty kick against Real Madrid to send Bayern to the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final.

In the 2012–13 season, Schweinsteiger has performed considerably well, continuing his duties as central midfielder along with new signing Javi Martínez.

On 6 April 2013, Schweinsteiger scored a backheel flick goal against Eintracht Frankfurt which sealed the Bundesliga title for Bayern.[7]

International career [edit]

As of 16 October 2012, Schweinsteiger has been capped 98 times and has scored 23 goals for the Germany national football team since making his debut in 2004. He has also been to five major tournaments with the German squad: UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria-Switzerland, FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa, and UEFA Euro 2012 in Poland-Ukraine.

Euro 2004 [edit]

Bastian Schweinsteiger made his international debut in 2004 in a friendly against Hungary.[8] Right after taking part in the U-21's disappointing run at the 2004 European Championships, he was called-up for Euro 2004. Bayern's number 31 earned rave reviews for his performances in Portugal, showing combative skills and even setting up the opening goal for former Bayern teammate Michael Ballack in Germany's 2–1 loss against the Czech Republic.

World Cup 2006 [edit]

He 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.[9] He 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.[10] The match ended 3–1 with the 22-year-old nearly claiming a hat-trick but his deflected free kick was credited as an own-goal to Armando Petit.

At the age of 22, he had already played 41 matches for the German national team, a record for any German player at the time. This record was soon broken, however, by Lukas Podolski who was capped 44 times at the age of 22. At the same age, Lothar Matthäus (the German all-time record holder with 150 caps) had only played 13 times for the German national team.

Euro 2008 [edit]

During Euro 2008 qualifiers, he scored two goals en route to a record 13–0 win over San Marino in San Marino. He scored the third goal in Germany's 4–1 win over Slovakia in Bratislava.

Schweinsteiger shooting for Germany in 2009

Schweinsteiger lost his place in the starting eleven when manager Joachim Löw moved striker Lukas Podolski to his usual position on the left wing to accommodate the strike partnership of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gómez, and he made two substitute appearances in the group stages. In the second match against Croatia, he was shown a straight red card for reacting to a challenge from Jerko Leko as Germany succumbed to a 2–1 shock defeat. After serving his suspension by missing the game against Austria, he returned to the starting lineup 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. He also scored his country's first goal in the 3–2 semifinal victory against Turkey. He captained the team for the first time in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates.

World Cup 2010 [edit]

Schweinsteiger featured often in 2010 World Cup qualifying, playing 9 of the 10 games and contributing 3 goals. He started in Germany's third pre-warm up game vs. Bosnia on 3 June 2010, and scored 2 penalties in a 3–1 victory in the space of four minutes, but in the 87th minute he was substituted off for Bayern Munich teammate Toni Kroos.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Schweinsteiger was charged with replacing the injured Michael 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 defense, as was apparent when he was named the Man of the Match after the quarterfinal match against Argentina, where he provided two assists while also managing to contain Lionel Messi. Germany subsequently lost to Spain in the semifinals. Germany was able to rally for a 3–2 victory over Uruguay in the third place match, and, with Philipp Lahm resting on the bench because of illness, Schweinsteiger served as captain.

Overall, Schweinsteiger recorded three assists in seven matches in South Africa, which tied him for the most assists in the finals with Dirk Kuyt, Kaká, Thomas Müller and Mesut Özil.[11] In recognition of his excellent play throughout the tournament, he was chosen as one of ten finalists for the prestigious Golden Ball, awarded to the most outstanding player of the tournament.[12]

Euro 2012 [edit]

In Germany's qualification in Group A he established himself as first choice as defensive midfielder. He played five matches – once against each opponent: Belgium, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Austria and Turkey – and helped Germany win ten out of ten games scoring once and providing one assist.

Style of play [edit]

Schweinsteiger began his career as a winger and a utility player. With the arrival of Louis van Gaal to Bayern, he began playing in centre midfield to accommodate wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry. Bastian Schweinsteiger has excellent dribbling skills, ball control, precise passing and good tackling capability. He also takes set-pieces. Dubbed the "Midfield Motor",[13] Schweinsteiger is also a superb reader of the game and has scored spectacularly due to his good positioning. He has been called "the brain" of the German national team by his coach Joachim Löw.[14] He also has the ability to shoot at target from distance, as in the third-place match against Portugal during the 2006 World Cup where he scored two goals from long range and almost a third from a set piece. He has since thrived in his new role and uses his passing and tackling to great effect in initiating attacks and dictating play.

Career statistics [edit]

Club performance [edit]

As of 18 May 2013 (2013-05-18)
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Club League Season Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Europe Other1 Total
Bayern Munich II Regionalliga Süd 2001–02 4 0 — — — — 4 0
2002–03 23 2 — 23 2
Bayern Munich Bundesliga 14 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 17 2
2003–04 26 4 3 0 1 0 3 0 33 4
Bayern Munich II Regionalliga Süd 4 0 — — — 4 0
Bayern Munich Bundesliga 2004–05 26 3 6 0 0 0 7 1 39 4
Bayern Munich II Regionalliga Süd 3 0 — — — 3 0
Bayern Munich Bundesliga 2005–06 30 3 4 0 1 0 7 0 42 3
2006–07 27 4 3 0 2 0 8 2 40 6
2007–08 30 1 4 0 2 1 12 0 48 2
2008–09 31 5 4 2 — 9 2 44 9
2009–10 33 2 4 1 12 0 49 3
2010–11 32 4 5 2 7 2 1 0 45 8
2011–12 22 3 3 1 11 1 — 36 5
2012–13 28 7 4 0 10 2 0 0 42 9
Club totals Bayern Munich II 34 3 0 0 — — — 34 2
Bayern Munich 299 36 42 8 6 1 87 10 1 0 435 55
Career statistics 333 39 42 8 6 1 87 10 1 0 469 57

National team [edit]

Schweinsteiger has 98 caps for Germany.
Year Apps Goals Assists
2004 10 0 2
2005 13 4 3
2006 18 9 11
2007 6 0 1
2008 15 4 3
2009 10 2 3
2010 12 2 4
2011 6 2 3
2012 7 0 2
2013 1 0 0
Total 98 24 32

International goals [edit]

Honours [edit]

Club [edit]

Bayern Munich Junior Team
Bayern Munich II
Bayern Munich

International [edit]

Germany

Individual [edit]

Personal life [edit]

Schweinsteiger lives with his girlfriend Sarah Brandner in Munich. His fans nicknamed him "Schweini" or "Basti" to distinguish him from his elder brother, Tobias, a professional footballer who also plays for Bayern, albeit in the reserve team and is currently out on loan to his former club SpVgg Unterhaching, playing in the 3. Liga.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 26 January 2012. 
  2. ^ a b "Bastian Schweinsteiger". FC Bayern Munich. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2008. 
  3. ^ "Bastian Schweinsteiger Bio". ESPN soccernet. Retrieved 5 October 2010. 
  4. ^ "Duties split between Lahm and Schweinsteiger". fcbayern.de. 27 January 2011. 
  5. ^ Bennett, Mark (19 June 2004). "Bastian leads new generation". UEFA. Retrieved 8 July 2010. 
  6. ^ "Schweinsteiger signs on at Bayern until 2016". UEFA.com. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2012. 
  7. ^ "Bastian Schweinsteiger's backheel goal that won the Bundesliga". insideworldsoccer.com. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013. 
  8. ^ a b "Players Info Schweinsteiger". DFB. Retrieved 8 July 2010. 
  9. ^ "Schweinsteiger: Anything is possible". FIFA. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 8 July 2010. 
  10. ^ "Man of the Match: Bastian Schweinsteiger". FIFA. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010. 
  11. ^ "World Cup Stats". FIFA. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
  12. ^ "Sneijder, Villa favourites for Golden Ball". soccerway.com. 9 July 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010. 
  13. ^ "Gomez joy tempered by Schweinsteiger blow –". Uefa.com. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2013. 
  14. ^ "The German Brain". espn.com. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012. 
  15. ^ "DFB-Elf erhält Silbernes Lorbeerblatt". Rheinische Post (in German). Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010. 

External links [edit]

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