Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 35. The World Cup-winning German midfielder, who spent some glorious years at Bayern Munich before two short spells at Manchester United and with the Chicago Fire in the MLS, announced his decision on social media on Tuesday. “The time has now come and I will be finishing my active career at the end of this season,” said Schweinsteiger in a statement he shared on Twitter. “You have made this unbelievable time possible for me,” said 35-year-old while thanking his fans, teammates at both club and the German national team and his family.

Schweinsteiger made his senior professional debut at Bayern Munich in 2002 after coming through the club’s academy and spent 17 seasons with the Bavarians playing exactly 500 matches across all competitions for them. During his time at the Allianz Arena, the midfielder won eight Bundesliga titles, seven DFB-Pokal trophies and one Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup titles each. His highest point in the national jersey came in 2014 when Germany beat Argentina to win the World Cup.

Bastian Schweinsteiger Announces Retirement

 

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Liebe Fans, nun ist die Zeit gekommen: ich werde meine aktive Karriere zum Ende dieser Saison beenden. Ich danke Euch und meinen Mannschaften @fcbayern, @manchesterunited, @chicagofire und @dfb_team - Ihr habt mir diese für mich so unglaubliche Zeit ermöglicht! Und natürlich danke ich meiner Frau @anaivanovic und meiner Familie für ihre Unterstützung. Mein Abschied als aktiver Spieler stimmt mich ein bisschen wehmütig, aber freue mich auch auf die spannenden Aufgaben, die mich bald erwarten. Dem Fußball werde ich treu bleiben. 1000 Dank für die gemeinsame Zeit, ich werde Euch immer im Herzen tragen! Euer Basti. Dear Fans, the time has now come, and I will be finishing my active career at the end of this season. I would like to thank both, you and my teams @fcbayern, @manchesterunited, @chicagofire and @dfb_team. You made this unbelievable time possible for me! And of course, I would also like to thank my wife @anaivanovic and my family for their support. Saying goodbye as an active player makes me feel a little nostalgic, but I am also looking forward to the exciting challenges that await me soon. I will remain faithful to football. Many, many thanks for the time we spent together, I will always have a place for you in my heart! Yours, Basti.

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He was also part of the German teams that finished third in the 2006 and 2010 editions of the World Cup. From making his debut for Die Mannschaft in the 2004 Euro, Schweinsteiger went on to play 121 times for the national team, making him Germany’s fourth most-capped player in the all-time list. National coach Joachim Loew called the midfielder "One of the greatest German players ever. A big player, a huge personality. Always honest, always emphatic."

Schweinsteiger joined English Premier League (EPL) giants Manchester United in 2015 after falling with then Bayern coach Pep Guardiola. At the time of his joining the Red Devils, the signing was believed to be a coup. But he failed to produce consistent performances and was mostly used as a substitute in the final stages of his two and half years contract. The German left for Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2017 after just on GA Cup title with United.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2019 08:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).