Germany and Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 35.

Born and raised in Rosenheim, near Munich, midfielder Schweinsteiger scored 68 goals in exactly 500 first-team appearances for Bayern Munich between 2002 and 2015, winning eight Bundesliga titles, seven German Cups, one League Cup and one Champions League - the latter part of an historic treble in 2013.

He also made 121 senior appearances for his country and was a key member of the Germany team which won a fourth World Cup in Brazil in 2014. Following the tournament, he inherited the captaincy from Bayern teammate and close friend Philipp Lahm.

Schweinsteiger left Bavaria in 2015 and signed for record English champions Manchester United, for whom he made a total of 35 appearances, picking up FA Cup and Europa League winners' medals.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger First professional contract at 18 Bastian Schweinsteiger grew up in the deep south of Bavaria, and first kicked a ball at the age of three. At 14 he was picked up by Bayern Munich's youth program and in late 2002 the then-18-year-old signed his first professional contract with the club.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger First cap aged 19 Schweinsteiger made his debut for the national team together with close friend Lukas Podolski, in a European Championship warm-up match against Hungary on June 6, 2004. Germany lost 2-0 and were later eliminated in the group stage at Euro 2004 in Portugal.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Eight Bundesliga titles The technically adept Schweinsteiger quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet at Bayern Munich. Strong in the tackle, the midfielder also proved himself more than capable of contributing to the attack, making him a fan favorite. Schweinsteiger was part of a Bayern team that won eight Bundesliga titles.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Agonizing elimination in home World Cup By the time Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006, Schweinsteiger and his friend Podolski had established themselves as regulars on the national team. Here, Schweinstieger comforts teammate Per Mertesacker after Italy beat Germany in extra time in their semifinal. Schweinsteiger had come on as a substitute in the 73rd minute.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger The captain's armband When Miroslav Klose was subbed off at halftime in a friendly against Belgium in August 2008, he handed the captain’s armband to Schweinsteiger. After pulling it on for the first time, the then-24-year-old scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-0 for Germany.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger A Champions League title at last It took a few years, but in 2013, along with then-club and national team captain Philipp Lahm, Schweinsteiger finally brought the Champions League trophy back to Munich. The Bavarians beat Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final played in Wembley Stadium in London.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger 2014 World Cup title Many believed Schweinsteiger’s best was already behind him as Germany headed to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. However, he proved the doubters wrong with a swashbuckling performance in the final against Argentina and was a key factor in Germany’s triumph.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger An FA and an EFL Cup It came as a surprise to many when Schweinsteiger decided to leave Bayern after 17 years at the club. In 2015 he moved to Manchester United. However, he was plagued by injuries and never was able to establish himself as a regular in the first 11. In the end he was frozen out by coach Jose Mourinho. Despite his lack of playing time, he did manage to collect both FA Cup and EFL Cup winners' medals.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Last hurrah! After Schweinsteiger’s season with Manchester United was wrecked by injury, nobody expected much from him at Euro 2016. However, after coach Joachim Löw brought him off the bench in Germany’s opening match against Ukraine, he sprinted almost the length of the pitch to score the second goal in a 2-0 victory.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Semifinal mishap Alas, that turned out to be the highlight of Schweinsteiger's Euro 2016. Coach Joachim Löw used him sparingly, bringing him off the bench. He got his first start in the semifinal against France - when he inadvertently handled the ball inside the box, conceding the penalty that gave the hosts a 1-0 lead. France would go on to win 2-0 in Marseille - and eliminate Germany from the tournament.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Wedded bliss However, life is not just about football - just days after Germany were eliminated from Euro 2016 in France, Bastian Schweinsteiger took the plunge, wedding his girlfriend, Serbian former world No. 1 tennis player Ana Invanovic in a ceremony in Venice.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Last hurrah In August 2016, Bastian Schweinsteiger made his final appearance in the national team jersey, a 2-0 German win in a friendly against Finland in Mönchengladbach. It was his 121st appearance for his country. Six months later, he is embarking on a new adventure, as he moves on to America to try to help revive the fortunes of Major League Soccer strugglers Chicago Fire.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Go west (not so) young man! On April 1, 2017, Bastian Schweinsteiger scored in his debut for his new club, Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. He had a positive impact on the Fire, helping them to qualify for the playoffs after having finished bottom of the Eastern Conference the two previous seasons. In 2018, though, the Fire have won just six of their 27 games so far and are very much out of contention for the playoffs.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Bastian Schweinsteiger is Bavaria A day prior to the testimonial match between his Chicago Fire and his former club, Bayern Munich, at the Alliance Arena in Munich, Bastian Schweinsteiger was presented with his home state's Order of Merit. "You are Bavaria - and you have done outstanding things for Bavaria," state Premier Markus Söder told the 35-year-old at the presentation ceremony.

From Basti to Mr. Schweinsteiger Bastian Schweinsteiger announces his retirement "I will be finishing my active career at the end of this season. I would like to thank both, the fans and my teams FC Bayern, Manchester United, Chicago Fire and the German National Team. You made this unbelieveable time possible for me! Saying goodbye makes me feel nostalgic, but I'm looking foward to the exciting challenges that await me soon. I will remain faithful to football." Author: Chuck Penfold



In 2017, he moved to the United States to join MLS side Chicago Fire, where he scored eight goals in 92 appearances, the last of which was on Sunday, a 5-2 victory away to Orlando City.

"The time has now come and I will be finishing my active career at the end of this season," Schweinsteiger announced via Twitter, thanking his former clubs, the German national team, his family and his wife, former world number one tennis player Ana Ivanovic.

"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 always remain faithful to football."

Schweinsteiger has not yet made public his plans post-retirement, but one destination could be the German Football Association (DFB).

"We'll always have a place for him here," said national team coach Joachim Löw, who led Germany to that 2014 triumph in Rio de Janeiro and is currently preparing the side for the 2020 European Championships.

Brothers in arms: Schweinsteiger was a key part of Joachim Löw's 2014 World Cup winning team

"I don't know what his plans are but any former player who wants to become a coach, whether doing their badges or coaching our youth teams, is always welcome," added Löw, who recently had Schweinsteiger's former Germany teammate Miroslav Klose on his staff, coaching the strikers.

Speaking at the German Football Museum in Dortmund, Löw described Schweinsteiger as "one of the greatest players that Germany has ever had" and said that the image of him bloodied up during the World Cup final will forever remain etched in fans' memories.

"He fought until he dropped," he said. "You could sense his will to win in everything he did."

mf/jt (SID, dpa)