Bastian Schweinsteiger made a bold move in his decorated football career by joining Manchester United in 2015, becoming the first German to feature for the club’s first team.
Having spent 17 years at Bayern Munich, winning nearly everything on offer including the Champions League and the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany, Schweinsteiger was already a giant of the game.
He was signed by the then Man United manager Louis van Gaal when the Dutchman managed the Bundesliga giants.
But what drew Schweinsteiger to Old Trafford wasn’t just the club’s stature or its Premier League appeal.
Bastian Schweinsteiger reveals why he chose to join Manchester United
According to Schweinsteiger, the unwavering loyalty of United’s supporters left a lasting impression on him, even before he joined the club.
Speaking to Flashscore, the 40-year-old said: “You know the great thing about Man United, and that is why I also moved to United is the supporters, they are so loyal, so special.
“They are always there when the results are not good like in this season, you still can feel the power of the supporters worldwide of Man United and especially at Old Trafford when you are once on the pitch.
“I remember one situation when we played Bayern Munich over there at the quarter-finals of 2010, we lost the second leg 3-2 but we qualified for the next round, and when we were about to leave the pitch, we were passing by the Stretford End and there were United supporters waiting.
“All of a sudden, they stood up and gave us an applause and a huge standing ovation, that doesn’t happen so many times in certain stadiums or away stadiums, so that is why for me, United supporters are fantastic like how much they respect the players.”
Bastian Schweinsteiger was not treated well by Manchester United
Bastian Schweinsteiger’s time at Manchester United may have been disrupted by injuries and a managerial shake-up under Jose Mourinho—who notably banished him to train with the reserves—but the German still managed to leave a lasting impression.
In total, Schweinsteiger made 35 appearances for United, registering two goals and two assists. He made his Premier League debut against Tottenham, scored his first goal for the club against Leicester, and memorably netted a stunning overhead kick in an FA Cup clash with Wigan.
Despite the turbulence, he has maintained his affection for the club, previously describing United as his ‘second club’. Schweinsteiger has even tipped Man United to go all the way in the Europa League this season.
However, the manner of his departure from Old Trafford remains a sore point. In a revealing interview, Schweinsteiger revealed how brutally Manchester United treated him, abruptly freezing him out — a revelation that left host Gary Neville stunned.
Speaking on the Overlap, he told Neville: “When I came first day [of pre-season] I actually trained with Zlatan and he was there and I was like oh great, he will be amazing to play.
“Then the next day on my birthday when I came to Carrington, John Murtagh was there and he said you’re not allowed to walk into the dressing room. I said why, he said the coach said so. No warning or anything.”
