Bastian Schweinsteiger’s achievements in the beautiful game are matched by very few.
The German midfielder is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of his generation during a playing career that spanned nearly two decades.
Schweinsteiger is one of the most decorated players of all time and loved his stint in MLS
It was at Bayern Munich that he spent most of his years, breaking into the first team at the age of 18, before establishing himself as one of the best in the world, performing for his club week in, week out.
Eight Bundesliga titles, seven German cups and a Champions League triumph – which came during a historic treble-winning season – justify that reputation.
The greatest glory of all came with his nation, Germany, in the 2014 World Cup.
Schweinsteiger played the entire 120 minutes of the final against Lionel Messi‘s Argentina, and was crowned a world champion that night thanks to Mario Gotze‘s extra-time winner.
It wasn’t just Bayern and Germany that midfielder represented. He departed the Bundesliga after 13 years and arrived in the Premier League in 2015, signing with Manchester United.
But an FA Cup triumph aside, Schweinsteiger’s time in England didn’t quite go to plan and he was frozen out by Jose Mourinho, who took charge if the club in the summer of 2016.
One year later, and a move to the MLS followed.
The German midfielder landed at Chicago Fire and despite entering the twilight years of his career, made 92 appearances for the club across three seasons.
His glittering career came to an end in 2019, and the years that followed offered Schweinsteiger a chance to reflect.
Time at Bayern brought the trophies and unmatched success, while a move to United gave him the chance to play in the Premier League. But it was actually in Chicago where the midfielder was happiest.
Bastian Schweinsteiger won more than 10 trophies with Bayern Munich
“If your sons are born in Chicago, it means a lot. Everything was very nice in our period in Chicago. We made so many friends, the city was welcoming us so lovingly,” Schweinsteiger told the Chicago Tribune in 2022.
“Obviously my most successful time as an athlete was in Munich. But if someone were to ask me what was the best time for me as a football player, a soccer player, I would say that it was the three years in Chicago.
“I really had a good time in Chicago, not only as a person but also soccer-wise. I really follow Chicago a lot, even the other sports like the Bears, the Blackhawks, the Bulls, the Cubs.”
While Chicago offered Schweinsteiger some of the happiest years of his life, the team have struggled in recent years and haven’t made the MLS playoffs since 2017.
This week, they hired former Gregg Berhalter as their new director of football and head coach, offering the former USMNT coach a shot at rebuilding his career.
