Bastian, The Champions League Kaiser

With his appearance at PSV Eindhoven in September, under the warm floodlights of the Philips Stadion, Bastian Schweinsteiger became the first German to play in 13 different Champions League campaigns, breaking a record held by his old team-mate Michael Ballack.

Manchester United’s Player of the Month for November was blissfully unaware on the night, but it is a commendable achievement that underlines his vast experience in Europe’s premier competition, which he is happy to share with the more adolescent section of our dressing room this campaign.

While the 31-year-old is dispensing knowledge like his trademark passes from deep, we sensed an opportunity to sit down with him at the Aon Training Complex to discuss his glittering European Cup career, highlighting the many matches and moments that stand out in history...

MY TOUGHEST OPPONENT
Match details: United 3 Bayern Munich 2, quarter final second leg, 07/04/2010
Schweinsteiger says: “Honestly, when we played at Old Trafford against United, I think after 10 minutes we were down 2-0 and I will never forget those 10 minutes because they played so unbelievably well. We were then 3-1 down by half-time but later won on away goals. I remember after that match, when we left the pitch, the supporters gave us applause and that is not usual. You could see that they had a lot of respect for a good performance.”

MY BEST PERFORMANCE
Match details: Real Madrid 2 Bayern Munich 1, semi-final second leg, 25/04/2012
Schweinsteiger says: “Picking my best performance is a tough question to answer, but I remember when we played against Real Madrid in 2012 before we played the final against Chelsea. It was the semi-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and we lost 2-1 in normal time, so we played extra time and penalties. I shot the last penalty to win, so I think it would have to be that one.”

MY BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Match details: Chelsea 1 Bayern Munich 1, final, 19/05/2012
Schweinsteiger says: “I think it would have to be the final against Chelsea in 2012. It was at home in Munich and also because of how the game played out - we dominated the match and we also missed a penalty in extra time, before losing on penalties. We were not so lucky that day!”

MY FAVOURITE MATCH
Match details: Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Dortmund 1, final, 25/05/2013
Schweinsteiger says: “We had a big match at home in the semi-final against Barcelona when we won 4-0. That was a very nice performance from the team and a great memory for all of us. We won the tie 7-0 on aggregate, which is rare against a team like Barcelona. But of course there is the also final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. It was a big moment for the club and also for me because we had lost two finals before that match, and it was definitely not an easy job. That was the biggest moment for me.”

MY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FUTURE
Bastian signed a three-year contract with United in the summer and is far from finished when it comes to the Champions League. In fact, he wants to win it again and hopes the Reds can go all the way before his time is up at Old Trafford. “It is true, I hope there are many more seasons to come with United and there’s still more to achieve in the competition,” Schweinsteiger says. “I feel very good at the moment. We have experience in the team and we have young players with quality in the team, so if we do our job well in the group then I think we can achieve a lot. I want to win titles and I think Manchester United is also used to winning titles, so that is definitely my goal. But for those types of moments, we all have to work very hard together and always try to improve ourselves. Hopefully we will get there.”