Chicago Fire midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will return to its roots this Tuesday, August 28.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner with Germany returns to the Allianz Arena to be honored in front of his fans in a match between the Chicago Fire and Bayern Munich -the team that saw his career blossom- in which the German will play one half for each team.
The match is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST and can be seen in the United States live on streaming service FloSports.
Schweinsteiger, 34, developed in Bayern’s academy before debuting on the first team in 2002. In 2015, he was transferred to Manchester United, then joined the Chicago Fire in March of 2017, becoming the great leader and symbol of the club for the last two seasons in MLS.
Hours before leaving for Germany with his Chicago Fire teammates on Friday, August 24, Schweinsteiger spoke with us about his feelings and memories surrounding the tribute he is about to receive.
How do you feel about playing for Bayern Munich once again?
First of all, I’m very happy about sharing this moment with the Chicago Fire, my teammates and the coaching staff. But yes, I am anxious to return to Allianz Arena and play one last time for Bayern Munich.
What does Bayern mean to you?
For me, it’s like home. I grew up there. I came to Bayern when I was 13 years old, so it’s been 19 years. I started my career there, made many friends around Munich because I grew up on the south side. It means a lot to me, especially the fans who have always been so good to me.
Who came up with the idea for this game?
It was Bayern’s. When I left Bayern, they offered me this type of match, so we agreed to do it now with the Chicago Fire.
What do you miss the most about your time at Bayern?
The food. We have the famous sausage with pretzel that’s so good and delicious. Of course, there are a lot of great sites around Munich since it has mountains nearby, you have lakes and skiing areas. It’s wonderful and the team is also one of the best in Europe and you play with the best players.
What about the beer and the particular way the team celebrates its titles?
Yes, but you don’t drink the beer, you dump it on your teammates. I like the beer but I don’t drink much. In Germany, we have Oktoberfest, but it’s sort of a rule that everyone has to drink one beer and at least have a toast.
Is this the first time you play at Allianz Arena since you left?
Yes, it’s the first time I play there since my last game in 2015.
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Do you think you will be able to contain your emotions or will you shed a tear or two?
I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’ll definitely be an emotional moment for me. I don’t know if I’ll shed a tear or two. When I played my last game for the national team, I didn’t expect to get emotional. But when you jump onto the pitch and feel the atmosphere of the crowd and even see some fans crying, that touches your heart and brings a lot of memories about a lot of things that you lived in the club while wearing the jersey. You never know how you’re going to react.
Normally, these types of games are held when a player is getting ready to retire. Are you thinking about retiring at the end of the season?
No. Sometimes some players have these matches after retiring. I’ve always signed one-year contracts with the Chicago Fire to see how I feel and always make that decision at the end of the season. Now I’m enjoying every moment as a player and whatever happens next will be my decision.
Are you thinking about retiring with the Chicago Fire?
My retirement could be in four, three, two or one year. I still enjoy playing soccer, but I’ll take my decision in three or four months and see what I do. The good thing is I can take my own decision. I feel great and I don’t have any type of problems, so I can enjoy playing soccer and working every day at training. That’s wonderful.
What’s your favorite memory of Bayern?
When I played my first game. I was 18 years old and entered the Champions League match against RC Lens. It was October or November of 2002 at the old Olympiastadion, where the first team played back then. I remember all the trophies we won, especially the Champions League title we won against Borussia Dortmund.
What does coach Ottmar Hitzfeld mean to your career?
A lot. He was a very important coach in my career because he was the first one I had as a professional on the first team. I’m very thankful to him because it wasn’t easy to believe in an 18-year-old kid to play in a great team like Bayern Munich and I played almost every game. I’m very thankful that he gave me that opportunity.
What do you think of Pep Guardiola, your last coach at Bayern?
He’s a fantastic coach, especially in terms of analyzing the opponent. He finds solutions during the game and gives ideas to the team. He knows everything about soccer and I had a good relationship with him.
Your Chicago Fire teammates are very excited to trade jerseys with Bayern players. Are you thinking of trading yours as well?
I don’t think so because my family wants to keep this jersey, so I’ll have to defend it. All my teammates are excited to come to Munich and play the match in front of all the supporters and against such great players, but it’s also a great opportunity because opportunities like these to play in this stadium don’t come often. I also want to show them Munich and its traditions.
How is your relationship with Bayern’s supporters?
I’ve always had a special relationship with the supporters. They’ve always supported me. I was a player who grew up there, in the Munich area, and always had that advantage with the fans. It’s like what happens now with Thomas Muller, who the supporters love. That’s what happened to me. I remembered when we lost the Champions League final to Chelsea in Munich. I went to one of the big stores and the fans were the first to encourage me and give me support, telling me we would win it next year and a year later, we won it all. It was a beautiful feeling at the moment.
How would you assess your MLS adventure with the Chicago Fire?
I think last year we had a good season, without many injuries, with a great spirit and we soared during the season. It was fantastic. The first year was good. Unfortunately, we’ve had players with lengthy injury absences, some players left and young players arrived. All these changes affected our game, but the injuries have affected us a lot because we’ve had five or six lengthy absence due to injury. Regardless, the team works very hard when we play, we have good character, we never give up and we fight until the end of every match and I enjoy that a lot. That’s the foundation of the Chicago Fire’s game. I also have to highlight the work of the coach (Veljko Paunovic) and the coaching staff that because they’re doing a great job since it hasn’t been an easy season. We’ve obtained good results against some very good teams, but we’ve also conceded last-minute goals and easy goals from mistakes we didn’t make last year. That affects you in the standings. For me, we shouldn’t be where we are. I think we deserved more the last three games against New York Red Bulls, Montreal and Columbus and that’s what needs to improve. Now we have to put the pieces together with some players that are coming back from injury, even though (Luis) Solignac just got injured. It’s a difficult season because of the injuries but I like the team a lot.
Do you think you will return next season?
I don’t know. That’s a question for the general manager or the owner. If they want me back, I’m enjoying my time in Chicago. My wife and my family are also happy here, but when the moment comes, I will make my decision and see what happens.
What do you like to do in your spare time in Chicago?
I like Chicago a lot; it’s a beautiful city. It has a lot of sports, but I enjoy discovering the city and sites like the Botanic Garden, the sights at the lake, restaurants, coffee shops, those types of places. And obviously, I have a family that keeps me busy.