Bastian Schweinsteiger stars for Bayern Munich and Chicago Fire in emotional testimonial
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger donned the club's colours one final time in his testimonial match against current employers Chicago Fire at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening, playing a half for each team - and scoring - as Bayern eased to a 4-0 victory.
Bayern Munich 4-0 Chicago Fire
Goals: 1-0 Gnabry (7'), 2-0 Wagner (38'), 3-0 Robben (63'), 4-0 Schweinsteiger (83')
Schweinsteiger was back on his old stomping ground for the first time since leaving Bayern for English Premier League outfit Manchester United in July 2015. He spent 17 years in the Bavarian capital, joining the Bayern academy at 13 before establishing himself at the pinnacle of the game as one of football's finest central midfielders. He made 500 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club, winning a staggering 26 major trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles and the 2013 UEFA Champions League, and was vice-captain as Germany lifted the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The 34-year-old, who moved to the States with Chicago Fire in March 2017, played one half for each team on a night of celebration in Bavaria.
The hosts took an early lead when Serge Gnabry's strong effort from the right took a deflection before flying in. The only blip on an otherwise perfect night for Bayern and their former emblematic star was the sight of midfielder Leon Goretzka exiting the game after he picked up an injury. Despite the setback, the Bundesliga champions pressed for a second, which Sandro Wagner supplied via a headed finish from James Rodriguez's lofted pass. A host of substitutions followed after the restart and one of those, Arjen Robben, made it 3-0 when his blast from the right powered in off Fire defender Vincent. The moment the entire stadium had been patiently awaiting, a Schweinsteiger goal, duly arrived before the end, with the man of the moment - who swapped sides at the break - volleying in from David Alaba's centre.
Watch: Bastian Schweinsteiger - Made in the Bundesliga
Line-ups
Bayern: Ulreich (Neuer 60') – Kimmich (Rafinha 46'), Mai (Senkbeil 46', Meier 82'), Hummels (Schweinsteiger 46'), Bernat (Müller 61', Shabani 81') – Sanches (Robben 60'), Tolisso (Ribery 60'), Goretzka (Jeong 37', Thiago 62') – Gnabry (Alaba 61'), Wagner (Lewandowski 61'), James (Boateng 46')
Unused subs: N/A
Absentees: Süle, Martinez (both illness)
Coach: Niko Kovac
Chicago: Cleveland (Sanchez 46') - Hasler, Kappelhof, Dean, Vincent – Schweinsteiger (Bronico 46') - McCarty, Mihailovic (Conner 79') - De Leeuw (Gordon 79'), Nikolic, Katai (Collier 79')
Unused subs: Del Grecco, Lillard, Adams, Johnson
Coach: Veljko Paunovic
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Match stats
- Schweinsteiger made his professional debut in a UEFA Champions League game against French side RC Lens in November 2002. He made his first Bundesliga appearance on 7 December 2002, replacing current Bayern head coach Niko Kovac in a match against VfB Stuttgart.The Kolbermoor native scored 68 goals and registered 100 assists in 500 competitive games for Bayern. He made his final appearance for the club on Matchday 34 of the 2014/15 Bundesliga campaign, scoring in a 2-0 win over Mainz.Schweinsteiger's career haul of eight Bundesliga titles is a record he shares with club greats Oliver Kahn, Philipp Lahm, Mehmet Scholl and Franck Ribery.In his 12 years as a senior international with Germany, Schweinsteiger won 121 caps, making him the fourth-most-capped player in the four-time world champions' history. He took over the captaincy from Lahm in 2014, before himself retiring from international football in August 2016.Since joining the Fire, Schweinsteiger has racked up 48 MLS appearances, registering seven goals and as many assists.
As it happened!