Schweinsteiger's Old Trafford Legacy

As he prepares to leave for MLS side Chicago Fire, Bastian Schweinsteiger has had some sage advice for the youngsters at Manchester United. 

It will be a legacy of his time at Old Trafford as the 32-year-old, who helped the Reds win the FA Cup last season, always had time to pass on his knowledge to his curious colleagues.

Ahead of Germany's international with England, a fixture he played in twice, I wonder if his wisdom could, ultimately, prove beneficial one day to Axel Tuanzebe, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, if the Three Lions can ever earn the right to compete for international glory.

England's sole World Cup win in 1966, more than half a century ago now, was the only time the nation has reached a major final. Even the last semi-final appearance, at Euro 96, was over 20 years ago. And both came on home turf. Yet, with the country still striving to succeed and Gareth Southgate the latest coach in charge, perhaps the influence of a German could, ironically, stand several Englishmen in good stead for the future. 

One of the things that impresses me about Schweinsteiger is the fact he rose to the occasion in the biggest game of his life - the 2014 World Cup final. His performance in midfield was sensational and he grasped that moment with every fibre of his being. When the stakes are at their highest, you need players to embrace the situation and there is little doubt he did that against Argentina.

He gave everything in the Maracana Stadium and it means he will forever be revered back in his homeland. "When you’re on the pitch and playing in a final, you have to speak to yourself and ask how many times are you going to be there in a World Cup final," he told ManUtd.com. "It’s not so easy – they only take place once every four years for a start! I tried to take the chance and it was a very intense game but, in that match, I could put everything out there. At the end, I was more than happy we managed to win the World Cup.

"I remember, actually, I was too tired to celebrate. I was happy but I was so tired I had to go to my room and lie down and relax everything. What I remember more actually was the morning afterwards. I was the first one down to breakfast in the morning, near the beach in Rio, and that was really my moment, where I could appreciate it and celebrate before we went to Berlin for more celebrations."

If this most rewarding of experiences, the very pinnacle of the game, has been passed on to those younger colleagues at United, he also had one simple but effective piece of advice for reaching the very top.

"If I talk to young players, even here when I speak to youngsters like Jesse, Marcus, [Dutchman] Tim [Fosu-Mensah] and Axel with the first team, I just try to talk to them and help them so they improve as quickly as possible but without losing their own character.

"That's important. I think that everyone has to keep their own individuality and mentality. You should keep it and shouldn’t change, just think about some things. If some players take that on, it’s good. It’s fine if not, though, as it’s their own position."

Individuality and a strong mentality are two traits that could be attributed to one of Schweinsteiger's idols growing up at Bayern Munich. He looked up to Oliver Kahn, the larger-than-life goalkeeper who was a dominant personality in a dressing room no doubt full of big egos.

"It was his attitude towards the game," explains Basti. "He was always motivated and wanted to do more and more. Later on, I became his team-mate and his dressing-room neighbour. I was close to him and could learn a lot from his attitude to the game. He was never giving up and always working after the training sessions. He wanted to improve himself and I liked that quite a lot.

"Early on, I was very close to the first team because we have our youth Academy building next to it and I saw them every day. Outside, I was watching Zinedine Zidane at that time but, at Bayern, there was also Owen Hargreaves because he was one of the youngest players in the first team. As a youth player, your goal was to also come into the first team and there were not so many of them that I could identify with coming out of the youth team, so I was also watching him quite a lot.

"But, during that time in Munich, Oliver Kahn helped me and then there were some other players you could talk to. But I always made my own opinion and tried to learn a little bit from everyone."

Time will tell if Rashford, Lingard and the uncapped Tuanzebe ever get the opportunity to play in a major final for England but, if they do, they would be wise to remember the words provided by Schweinsteiger - not only a winner of the ultimate prize but a Man of the Match in the World Cup final. There are not too many players who can say that.

Credit: Manutd.com