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Bastian Schweinsteiger

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Bastian Schweinsteiger
Personal information
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 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)
2004– Bayern Munich 235 (24)
International career‡
2004 Germany U-21 7 (2)
2004– Germany 84 (21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:41, 23 January 2011 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:44, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

Bastian Schweinsteiger (pronounced [ˈbasti̯an ˈʃvaɪnʃtaɪɡɐ] ⓘ, born 1 August 1984 in Kolbermoor, West Germany) is a German footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he occupied a central role during the 2009–10 season. Schweinsteiger has won many trophies in his still continuing career including five Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and two League Cups.[2] During the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final, he played centre-midfield, the position he occupied for most of that season. Schweinsteiger was selected to play for the FC Bayern Munich first team when he was just a teenager, and he continues to serve his team as one of the longest-serving players at Bayern.

Career

Club career

Schweinsteiger signed for Bayern Munich as a youth team player on 1 July 1998[1] 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.[3]

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.

International career

Bastian Schweinsteiger made his international debut in 2004 in a friendly against Hungary.[4] Right after taking part in the U-21's disappointing run at the 2004 European Championships, he was called-up for UEFA 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.

He scored his first two international goals on 8 June 2005 against Russia and scored his first goal at a major tournament against Tunisia on 18 June 2005 at the Confederations Cup in Germany.[5] 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.[6] The match ended 3–1 with the twenty two-year-old nearly claiming a hat-trick but his deflected free kick was credited as an own-goal to Armando Petit.

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.

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. To this day Germany have never lost a game when he has scored.

Schweinsteiger initially 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 line-up in the quarterfinal against Portugal when Löw reverted back to the old 4–4–2 formation when Gómez was benched after failing to make an impression. Once again he was instrumental in their 3–2 win, scoring one and setting up two goals. He also scored his country's first goal in the 3–2 semi-final victory against Turkey. He captained the team for the first time in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates.

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 team mate Toni Kroos.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Schweinsteiger was charged with replacing the injured Michael Ballack at the center 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 quarter-final against Argentina, where he provided two assists while also managing to contain Lionel Messi. Unfortunately for Schweinsteiger, Germany subsequently lost to Spain in the semi-finals. The German squad were able to rally for a 3–2 victory over Uruguay in the Third Place match, and, with Philip 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 in the finals.[7] 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. As of 10 July 2010, Schweinsteiger has been capped 81 times, and has scored 21 goals for the Germany national football team since making his debut back in 2004. He has also been to four major tournaments with the German squad including UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria-Switzerland, and FIFA World Cup 2010 held in South Africa.[8]

Style of Football

Bastian Schweinsteiger, for the majority of his career, operates on the wing of the pitch, either left or right. Schweinsteiger is also commonly positioned in the centre playing as an attacking midfielder. His strong attributes include a strong and deadly accurate shot from range, as well as very good delivery from set-pieces. He is also noted to have "boundless energy" referring to "Schweini's" incredible stamina and ability to motor up and down the field for the entire length of matches, while playing at a consistently strong level.[2]

Career statistics

Club performance

As of 23 January 2011

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Bayern Munich 2002–03 14 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 16 2 2
2003–04 26 4 4 3 0 0 3 0 0 32 4 4
2004–05 26 3 7 6 0 2 7 1 1 39 4 10
2005–06 30 3 3 4 0 2 7 0 3 41 3 8
2006–07 27 4 6 3 0 1 8 2 1 38 6 8
2007–08 30 1 8 4 0 0 12 0 3 46 1 11
2008–09 31 5 10 4 2 0 9 2 2 44 9 12
2009–10 33 2 3 4 1 1 11 0 0 48 3 4
2010–11 18 2 5 3 2 0 5 2 2 26 6 7
Career Total 235 24 48 32 7 6 63 7 12 330 38 66

National team

Year Apps Goals Assists
2004 10 0 2
2005 14 4 3
2006 18 9 11
2007 6 0 1
2008 15 4 3
2009 10 2 3
2010 12 2 4
Total 84 21 27

International goals

Honours

Club

Bayern Munich Junior Team
Bayern Munich II
Bayern Munich

International

Germany

Individual

Personal life

Schweinsteiger has a Dutch great grandfather.[9] He lives with his girlfriend Sarah Brandner in Munich. His fans nicknamed him "Schweini" or "Basti" to distinguish him from his brother. His elder brother Tobias is a professional footballer who plays for third-tier side SSV Jahn Regensburg.

References

  1. ^ a b "Bastian Schweinsteiger". FC Bayern Munich. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Bastian Schweinsteiger Bio". ESPN soccernet. Retrieved 5 october 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ Bennett, Mark (19 June 2004). "Bastian leads new generation". UEFA. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Players Info Schweinsteiger". DFB. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Schweinsteiger: Anything is possible". FIFA. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  6. ^ "Man of the Match: Bastian Schweinsteiger". FIFA. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  7. ^ "World Cup Stats". FIFA. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
  8. ^ "Sneijder, Villa favourites for Golden Ball". soccerway.com. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Schweinsteiger: Spain are world's best". FIFA. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.


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