Goal.com 50: Bastian Schweinsteiger (10)

Bastian Schweinsteiger was the 10th best player of 2009-10, according to a panel of Goal.com editors…
By Clark Whitney
2 Aug 2010 09:29:00

Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2009-10. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 10th with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...

Bastian Schweinsteiger may have just celebrated his 26th birthday, but in many ways, his career has only just begun. From his 2002 debut to the beginning of the 2009-10 season, the Bayern Munich man had stiff competition for a central midfield role, and was forced to play as a winger. Too slow to be a sprint-and-cross wide player and lacking the goal-scoring instincts of many others in his position, however, Schweinsteiger never fully realised his potential on the flank.

Following the departures of Stefan Effenberg, Jens Jeremies, Michael Ballack, Owen Hargreaves and Ze Roberto, the Bavaria native was finally given an opportunity to prove himself in central midfield, where he played in his youth. 'Schweini' immediately impressed coach Louis van Gaal, putting to use his greatest talents: quick thinking, accurate passing, delicate ball control, tenacious defence, flawless positional awareness, and an excess of endurance. Over the year, Schweinsteiger developed into arguably the world’s most complete central midfielder.

While it took Bayern nearly the entire autumn campaign to reach their best form, the German record champions had finally lived up to their billing by December. In his new role, Schweinsteiger played as the crucial link between defence and attack, willingly accepting the ball deep in his own half and shepherding it to safety. Moving forward, he served as the architect of Bayern’s attack, taking the burden off the shoulders of full-back Philipp Lahm, who previously led the team in passing and touches. Schweinsteiger’s technical wizardry in the centre of the park allowed Bayern to change their strategy from one employed exclusively on the flanks to a more dynamic plan that includes use of the entire width of the pitch.

Along with Schweinsteiger’s development, Bayern quickly became one of the most overpowering teams in Europe. Van Gaal’s men averaged over 500 completed passes per Bundesliga game, and had a completion rate in excess of 80 per cent. In Champions League play, only Barcelona averaged a greater share of possession. Bayern’s complete dominance led to Bundesliga and DFB Pokal championships, as well as the title of Champions League runners-up. And in all but five of his team’s games, Schweinsteiger was the lynchpin.

Being at the heart of Bayern’s game plan may have been a huge burden to shoulder, but for Schweinsteiger, the World Cup brought a whole new level of challenge. After Germany captain Michael Ballack was ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury, 'Schweini' was called upon to serve as a replacement on the pitch, and as his country’s vice-captain. In a slightly more defensive position than that which he occupied at Bayern, Schweinsteiger still managed to thrive. His defensive work in the centre of the park shielded off-form central defender Per Mertesacker, and he always managed to steer the ball out of danger. To many, Schweinsteiger’s dribbling and quickness in passing was an improvement over Ballack’s slower-paced playing style.
Always a big-game player for his country, Schweinsteiger put in a virtuoso performance in Germany’s 4-0 rout of Argentina. The 81-times capped Germany internatinal assisted Thomas Mueller’s opener, beat three defenders en route to setting up Arne Friedrich’s goal to make the score 3-0, and played a large part in the play leading up to Miroslav Klose’s late strike. All that, and 'Schweini' also man-marked reigning Ballon d’Or holder Lionel Messi out of the match while avoiding a yellow card.

To his misfortune, Schweinsteiger couldn’t match up to Spain in the semi-final. There were too many red shirts in the middle of the park, and the midfield maestro simply did not have enough support. Sami Khedira struggled against an exceptionally technical Spain side, and Mesut Oezil was suffering from fatigue. As a result, Germany bowed out of contention for the title with a 1-0 defeat. Still, the tournament ended well for Schweinsteiger: Die Mannschaft won the third place match against Uruguay, and he was named in the World Cup’s All-Star team.

Still just 26 years of age, Schweinsteiger enters the 2010-11 club season in the prime of his career. He may have not yet won the Champions League or any tournaments with Germany, but then again, Xavi didn’t even play in a major final until the age of 28. Given a few more years, Schweinsteiger just might become the next German legend.