Schweinsteiger voted Man of the Match
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German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was voted the Man of the Match in Germany's 4-0 thumping of Argentina on Saturday.
Schweinsteiger had a hand in Germany's third goal as he shook off three opponents and cut the ball back to Arne Friedrich, who tapped in while falling down.
Having rediscovered his best form just in time for the 2010 World Cup, the 25-year-old is out to prove that, despite moving position, he still belongs among the world elite.
The Bavaria-born player is destined to become Germany' s next playmaker. "Schweini", as he is known affectionately, has all the right qualities to pull the strings of the three-time world champions and step into Ballack' s boots over the next few years.
Technically gifted, he has an outstanding footballing brain and with more than 70 international appearances is already highly experienced. In recent months, Schweinsteiger has also dramatically improved his tackling, and having proven his midfield mettle alongside Mark van Bommel for Bayern, the 1.83-meter player is eager to do likewise in a German shirt.
Schweinsteiger joined Bayern Munich as a 14-year-old and has made it his home. His full debut in November 2002 heralded a career blessed with numerous domestic titles inside his first few seasons, and in which he has became one of the few home-grown players to hold onto a first-team shirt with the record German championship winners.
If he earned something of a reputation for lacking the right attitude in the early years of his senior career, Schweinsteiger has long since matured into a top performer for the Munich club.
His international debut came in June 2004 in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Hungary in Kaiserslautern. Just four years later in May 2008, he was making his 50th senior appearance for Germany aged 23, writing himself into the history books of the German Football Association (DFB).
His breakthrough on the international stage came at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil as he and Lukas Podolski stole the hearts of German fans with their outstanding performances and cavalier style.
A year later at the 2006 World Cup, he was a creative force for then German coach Jurgen Klinsmann on the left wing and took the headlines in the match for third place against Portugal, scoring twice and setting up the third goal in a 3-1 victory.
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