Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bayern Munich

Schweinsteiger signed with FC 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.

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, at the age of 18, 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 2004–05 season, Schweinsteiger swiftly returned to play a role in the double-winning campaign and scored his inaugural Champions League goal in Bayern's quarter-final first leg defeat at…

On 6 June 2004, Schweinsteiger debuted for the German senior squad in a friendly match against Hungary. He was part of the Germany squad for every major tournament from UEFA Euro 2004 until Euro 2016.

Euro 2004

Right after taking part in the under-21s' disappointing run at the 2004 European Championships, he was called up for Euro 2004. He set up the opening goal for Bayern teammate Michael Ballack in Germany's 2–1 loss against the Czech Republic.

2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup

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. 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. The match ended 3–1 with the 21-year-old nearly claiming a hat-trick but his deflected free kick was credited as an own goal to Armando Petit.

Euro 2008

During Euro 2008 qualifiers, Schweinsteiger 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 lost his place in the starting 11 when Germany manager Joachim Löw moved striker Lukas Podolski to Schweinsteiger's usual position on the left wing to accommodate the strike…

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. During his years with Bayern Munich, he was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, and he has been described by former Germany national team manager Joachim Löw as one of the country's greatest players ever. Schweinsteiger possessed a fearsome shot from range, as well as excellent crossing and a wicked delivery from set-pieces, while his boundless energy also served him well. Described as a "two-way player" by Nick Amies, he was also used in a variety of other roles, including as a holding midfielder, as an attacking midfielder, in a box-to-box role, as a playmaker, and in a deep-lying midfield role. A powerful, physical, and elegant player, who also possessed good technique, skill, passing ability, vision, and creativity, Schweinsteiger was known for his ability to control and dictate the flow of his team's play in midfield, build attacks, and create chances for his teammates with his distribution. Dubbed the "Midfield Motor", Schweinsteiger was also a superb reader of the game and scored spectacularly due to his good positioning. He was called "the brain" of the German national team by coach Joachim Löw, and was also described as a "midfield mastermind". Beyond his offensive and creative capabilities, he was also known for his defensive skills, work-rate, and tackling ability. For his performances, he was voted as…

Schweinsteiger is a Roman Catholic. He is known to fans as "Schweini" or "Basti", the latter to distinguish him from his elder brother, Tobias, a professional footballer who also played for Bayern Munich, albeit in the reserve team. Schweinsteiger was in a relationship with model Sarah Brandner from 2007 until July 2014. They lived in Munich together. In September 2014, he began a relationship with Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic. The couple married on 12 July 2016 in Venice, Italy. They have two sons, born in 2018 and 2019. In February 2023, the couple announced that they were expecting their third child together. The couple split up in 2025. Schweinsteiger was a talented ski racer and is childhood friends with Felix Neureuther. In June 2026, when Schweinsteiger was asked on ARD what the Germany team could expect from their opponents ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup group match against Ivory Coast, his comments about African football being "unpredictable," "a bit unorthodox, "a bit wild," and "not so conditioned by tactics" were criticised by several pundits in the media, as well as Ivory Coast manager Emerse Faé, for playing into racist stereotypes. He later issued a statement, stating: "I was talking about football, not about people. It's a football analysis. Nothing more and nothing less. [...] I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone."