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Bastian Schweinsteiger has revealed the moment which made him develop his love for Manchester United and explained why his move to England came late in his career.
Schweinsteiger came through the ranks at Bayern Munich and played 500 times for his beloved club, winning eight Bundesliga titles and finally lifting the Champions League in 2013 after two agonising defeats in finals.
One year after becoming a World Cup winner with Germany in Brazil, the former midfielder got a taste of English football when he reunited with Louis van Gaal and signed for United for a fee of £6.5 million.
The first German to play in United's first-team, Schweinsteiger only played 35 times across two seasons - featuring just four times under Jose Mourinho and being forced to train with the youth team for a period.
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But Schweinsteiger, who idolised Eric Cantona growing up, still has such a fondness for United and regularly posts about them on social media even if his spell at Old Trafford was only brief.
In 2010, when he and his Bayern teammates were applauded off by United fans after a Champions League clash, Schweinsteiger knew that he wanted to play at the Theatre of Dreams permanently.
"Because when I've been there, the people there were so lovely, and the supporters were something very special for me," Schweinsteiger explained to SPORTbible about why he loves United so much, while speaking at a Champions League social experiment event put on by Heineken in New York.
“Actually, it started when we played with Munich once at Old Trafford, we lost the match 3-2, but we qualified for the next round, it was when [Arjen] Robben scored that goal for 3-2. I remember we left the pitch and the whole Stretford End stood up and showed fair play, and that's something special.
"The loyalty of the fans of United is huge, and I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to play for United.”
Schweinsteiger spent his prime years at Bayern and retired following a short stint across the pond with Chicago Fire in the MLS. But he has no regrets over not moving to England sooner as he feels as though the timing to join United worked out perfectly.
“Not really because my goal was always to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich first, and that happened in 2013," Schweinsteiger replied.
"We lost the trophy twice, in 2010 and 2012, and in 2013 we won it.
“After that Pep joined, so I definitely wanted to be a player for Pep. But then in 2015, it was the right moment to experience the Premier League, and I really enjoyed it. It was great to be there, to play there, and I had a great time, great culture, so I always look back with shiny eyes."
At United, Schweinsteiger became something of a cult hero with the club's supporters and formed an unlikely friendship with the club's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney.
They are still in touch now and arrangements have been made for Rooney to join Schweinsteiger at the Bavarian festival Oktoberfest. Michael Carrick was also invited but his stunning start to life as United caretaker boss might mean he is unable to take up the offer.
Schweinsteiger added: "With Wazza, when I had some players, they entered the dressing room and you immediately had a smile on your face.
"In Munich I had Thomas Muller, and in Manchester it was Wayne Rooney, when he walked in I always had a smile on my face, and when I see him now it's always great to share some moments together.
"Looking forward to it. First of all, we have to find him the right outfit, and it's not easy, but we will find the right outfit for him.
"We spoke about it, maybe one day we have the chance to do it. Let's see. Michael Carrick, he was also interested to join, but he's now a little bit busy.”
Alongside the Champions League trophy which he lifted with Bayern at Wembley after victory over Borussia Dortmund, the German midfielder was among the hundreds of people who turned up at Central Park Tavern in New York City to make sure one fan didn't have to watch the Champions League all alone.
On the final night of the Champions League league phase, Liverpool fan Joe - an Australian living in New York - was surprised by a whole host of football fans after flyers titled 'Have A Beer With Me' were placed around Manhattan.
In partnership with Champions League sponsor Heineken and following on from the 'Fans Have More Friends' book from Ben Valenta and Dave Sikorjak, YouTuber Zac Alsop carried out a social experiment by openly inviting football fans to show up and the result was hundreds of die-hards turning out to support a fan they had never met.
Liverpool's 6-0 win over Qarabag was the featured game but the fans in attendance at the Champions League viewing party lost their minds in unison as Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored an incredible 98th minute header against Real Madrid to send Jose Mourinho's men into the Champions League play-offs.
The experiment in New York kicks off a multi-channel platform launch by Heineken, including the debut of the Fans Have More Friends television advert starring four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and DJ Martin Garrix - all brand ambassadors.
Heineken's global platform, Fans Have More Friends, will continue to roll out throughout 2026 at key moments in the football, F1 and music festival calendar - including the UEFA Champions League Final, UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, Coachella and Grand Prix weekends worldwide.
Topics: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayern Munich, Champions League, Manchester United, Spotlight
Josh Lawless