Football news - Bastian Schweinsteiger's legacy - the expert's view

Even before Schweinsteiger started his professional career with Bayern Munich, at the age of 18 he was given his debut by the great Ottmar Hitzfeld. He recorded an assist in that very first game against Lens in the Champions League and secured a professional deal a few weeks later in December 2002. The rest, as they say, is history.

When he eventually came to England to play for Manchester United, he was past his best. Jose Mourinho relegated him to training with the Under-23s, although he later said that was an error. He may have won the FA Cup but he was not the Champions League and World Cup-winning midfielder many football fans would have loved to see in the Premier League.

However, his career was so much more than two forlorn seasons at Old Trafford as an embodiment of everything that was wrong with post-Ferguson United. We asked one of our colleagues in Germany to give us an insight on his legacy in his home country.

"His performance in the World Cup final 2014 might not have been his best, but it was the most symbolic, most passionate match of all his internationals," says Eurosport Germany's Tobias Laure.

"Everybody in Germany has this image in mind: Schweinsteiger bleeding but fighting and helping the team claiming the title.

"But also his time during World Cup 2006 stays in mind, when Schweini and Poldi - Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski - were the young stars of the team.

"Again, it was not his best tournament but Schweinsteiger finished with three goals - although one was deflected and eventually given as an own goal - against Portugal in the third place play-off.

"In Bavaria, where he was born, he is listed as a “role model" of Bayern Munich on the club website and crowned his Bayern career in 2013 by winning the CL against Dortmund in Wembley."

"Unlike some other stars Schweinsteiger was more the guy for the “quiet sounds”, but on the other hand was not afraid of having a clear opinion, when needed.

"When I think of his career, I think of a player, who was playing on a constant high level so many years, had a lot of success and showed a high loyalty to his club."

"As Bayern loves to integrate former club legends (Uli Hoeness, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oliver Kahn, Franz Beckenbauer to name just a few…) Schweinsteiger will almost certainly take over a role at the club.

"Maybe not a big one as he really enjoys living with his wife Ana Ivanovic in the US, but he surely will stay connected with the club - perhaps as a club ambassador?

"Rummenigge said today that 'the doors at Bayern are always open to him'.

"Schweinsteiger explained, that he will 'remain loyal to football'."

Auf wiedersehn, Schweini.