Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger (pronounced [ˈbasti̯an ˈʃvaɪnʃtaɪɡɐ] ), born 1 August 1984 in Kolbermoor, West Germany) 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 five Bundesliga titles, five German Cups, and two League Cups. As of January 2011, he is the Bayern Munich vice-captain to long-time teammate Philipp Lahm.

Club Career

Schweinsteiger signed with Bayern Munich as a youth team player on 1 July 1998 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.

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

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 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 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. 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 4 April 2011, Schweinsteiger has been capped 88 times and has scored 22 goals for the Germany national football team since making his debut in 2004. He has also been to four major tournaments with the German squad: UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria-Switzerland, and FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Playing Style

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, plus he is a set piece taker. Schweinsteiger is also a superb reader of the game and has scored spectacularly due to his good positioning. 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.