Bastian Schweinsteiger Biography

Called by his coach, Jupp Heynkes, "The best defensive midfielder in the world," Bastian Schweinsteiger is a key player for Bayern Munich and the German national team. It is expected that Schweinsteiger will end his senior career in Munich one day, since he is well on the way toward becoming a legend there ...

Childhood

Bastian Schweinsteiger was born on August 1st, 1984 in Kolbermoor, Germany. He is the son of Alfred and Monika Schweinsteiger. His older brother Tobias currently plays for Unterhaching.

Bastian started his career at the age of three, playing for small club FV Oberaudorf. In 1992, he moved to a bigger team, TSV Rosenheim. Scouts saw him play in several games and were fascinated by his skills. He decided to continue his career in Munich, playing for German record champion* Bayern Munich.

*Bayern Munich holds the record for most German championships.

Bayern Munich

Bastian Schweinsteiger played on several youth teams and won the national championship for U17 (2001) and U19 (2002). Schweinsteiger made his senior debut November 13th, 2002 in a Champion League game against RC Lens when he was substituted in the 76th minute.

He signed his first professional contract and played his first Bundesliga game on December 7th in Bayern's 3–0 win over Stuttgart.

At the beginning of the 2009/10 season, he changed his position from an outside midfielder to a central midfielder. The coach saw his great passing skills and made this decision.

This decision made him even more important for Bayern Munich. His performances became better and better playing this new position. He won several titles with Bayern Munich including five national championships and five wins in the German Cup.

In the 2011/12 season, Bastian was just one step away from winning his first Champions League title, but he missed his penalty in the final against Chelsea FC, and Bayern Munich lost.

On September 29th, 2012 he played his 400th game for Bayern Munich.

Germany

Bastian Schweinsteiger played in several German youth teams. On June 6th, 2002, he made his senior debut against Hungary when Germany lost 0–2.

He scored his first international goal one year later in a friendly game against Russia.

His first big tournament was the European Championship 2004 in Portugal. Since then, Schweinsteiger has played every big tournament.

He played his best tournament game in the World Cup in 2006 when he scored twice and assisted one goal against Portugal.

Nonetheless, Schweinsteiger is still awaiting his first title with Germany. Germany has always played good tournaments but always missed the big victory. Currently, he is the second captain of the team and the leader in Germany's midfield.