MLS | Schweinsteiger: "Nothing beats the lifting of the World Cup"

AS: So, Bastian, how are you? How are you feeling here in Madrid?

BS: That's fine. This is not the hottest time of the year, but it's good to be here in Madrid – it's obviously a big city.

AS: I think it's your seventeenth year as a football professional, is not it?

BS: You mean pre-seasons? I think there are even more if you include your presence in the national team. I have done a lot of pre-seasons and with Bayern Munich you have two pre-seasons – summer and winter, so I think the number is actually higher.

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AS: So, almost 20 years of football … it's long!

BS: Yes, yes. It is. It's long.

AS: What do you think of your career now that you are entering the final stage of your career?

BS: I am very happy with the evolution of the situation. Of course, when I was a kid and playing football, I dreamed of playing at a high level someday – and staying at that level. Sometimes it's easy to reach a high level but it's not that easy to stay there, so I'm very grateful that I've also played for very good teams. But everything happens so fast, at the end of the day, I must say.

AS: Do you think that your playing career is over or are you thinking of continuing?

BS: I chose to do it as I have always done in the last few years – I have always more or less decided to continue or not during the latter part of the season.

AS: So you have not decided yet?

BS: No, no. We are at the beginning of the season, so I will see how everything is going and if I still like to play, then I will decide.

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AS: Do you still like to play football?

BS: Yes, I like being on the training ground, coaching and being with the ball at my feet. Obviously, playing in America is very different from playing in Europe. But it's very interesting.

AS: You have been world champion and European champion – so this experience must have a great influence on the rest of the players on the team?

BS: Yes, I of course try to give my experience to the players here. But everyone must build their own career and develop their personality. I've seen so many things – not just in football, so I'm trying to share my experiences with them.

AS: Does Major League Soccer grow a lot?

BS: For me it's my third season so I do not know what it was 10 years ago. We have one or two players who have spent more time than me in MLS, but what I can say is that there are teams doing very good work, there are nice stages, the average attendance in MLS is higher than in Serie A. or the French league then it's good to see. And I think that football in general is developing throughout the United States and that young people are more interested.

AS: And it's a culture so different from Europe … football is different, the atmosphere …

BS: Hmm, I think that has a lot to do with the fact that the story is much shorter than Europe – you know, LaLiga, Bundeliga, Serie A, Premier League … they have been around for many years . The MLS was launched in 1988, so it's still a young league but it will probably go down in history. But he is still young and he has yet to develop.

AS: In the 20 years of your playing career, what is your best memory?

BS: Obviously, when you raise the World Cup or play for the first time with your base club – which in my case was Bayern Munich. But I always say that for me, my motivation has always been to make people, fans happy. You played football with your heart and your personality and that's why I would say that when we lost the 2012 final against Chelsea, we defeated the following year – it was a huge thing for us because after the disappointment of the previous year all win and treble was huge for us.

AS: For Spanish football fans, you are seen as an example of being one of the most representative German players and your past with Bayern Munich – given the tradition between Real Madrid and Bayer. You scored the decisive penalty in the Bernabeu shootout in 2012. There has always been a strong rivalry between Bayern and Real Madrid …

BS: Absolutely and you know it's great to have this kind of rivalry between huge clubs in Europe, especially with Real Madrid. Bayern and Madrid have a long history and I remember a lot of matches between us. It was always very close games and I think that's what people around the world like to see.

AS: Do you think these are the two largest teams in Europe or history in general?

BS: In general … it's hard to say. Of course, Real Madrid is a huge club. They have won the Champions League in the last three years, it's amazing and a lot of things are going in the right direction for them. But each club has a story – for example, Juventus also has a great history and other clubs. It's great to have these great clubs in Europe that are constantly at the highest level. At the end of the day, in the Champions League, we always see more Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona … more than other clubs. So it's good to see a club like Real Madrid maintain its level and be so consistent.

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AS: Have you ever had the opportunity to play in Spain?

BS: To be honest, I do not really like when people talk about what they could have done or the club they could have played in interviews. Personally, I do not like it. I've always made my decisions and represented the kind of teams I played for. It's a beautiful country, I love Spain. La Liga is very interesting of course but what can I say? I've played for Bayern Munich and Manchester United and these are the decisions I've made. I've also won the Champions League with Bayern Munich.

AS: Which are the best players you played against?

BS: I think the best players I've been around are Manuel Neuer and Franck Ribery. Against? It's difficult … some players play differently for their club than for their national team. I do not really have names that come to my mind.

AS: What about the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry?

BS: Yes, but when we played in Barcelona, ​​we won, sometimes we lost, and it's the same against Real Madrid. With Germany, we beat Argentina and usually Portugal … Obviously he's a great player and a great athlete, but I can not pick a single player. I was impressed when I played against Real Madrid in 2003. I entered the second half – it was the day when Madrid won 1-0 and Zidane scored a goal after five minutes and I I was very impressed when I played against Zidane. I like the way he moves and controls the ball.

AS: It's a reference for midfielders around the world …

BS: Yes, and I think that's good. He is one of the best players the sport has ever seen and I had the opportunity to play against him once and I was really impressed by him.

AS: Last question. What do you think happened to Germany at the last World Cup? It was a big surprise to see the defending champions underperform and out.

BS: Yes, of course, there are many reasons you know. In Germany, we are experiencing a generation change – we currently have a lot of good players, quality players – as you also have in Spain, but we need to transmit the genes to this younger generation and teach them the basics German football is about – the aspects that other countries are jealous of. Like our determination – we fight until the end and this kind of qualities. So it's a kind of moment of change that takes time. On the one hand, it may have been that it happened and we can now rebuild the team. I am confident that the German national team will be back where it belongs.