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It almost seems like yesterday when a young Bastian Schweinsteiger was starting his career as a professional player for Bayern Munchen. At the beginning, he started playing as a left winger with a lot of punch, but later during his career Louis Van Gaal relocated him to the position that made him one of the best players in the world. As a central midfielder, he managed to lead Germany to conquer the World Cup back in 2014.
But during his last presentation with Germany, he arrived at the Euros in 2016 from an injury and as a substitute. Although later in the tournament he took injured Sami Khedira's place, it's pretty clear that he is far from being that impressive midfielder we all know and love. To former German international Michael Ballack, Bastian should already hang up his shoes and let the younger generations take control of the position.
Writing in the German publication Express, Ballack said: "I think it is now a good time for him to withdraw. I know that he is brutally ambitious. But if you have seen him in the last two years, you have to honestly say that I'm worried by his many injuries and about his physical condition. He will now have enough to do, to prevail in Manchester in a great sporting competition.
"Therefore, I do not know if he would do himself a favor by calling the World Cup in Russia his next personal goal. I would advise him to think carefully about this step. I'm afraid he might get into a vortex. Other players could use the situation to put his status in the team in question. Schweinsteiger would not deserve that."
Photo credit: Die Mannschaft
