The former Chelsea midfielder expressed his concern over the Manchester United star’s injury issues, hinting that the German captain should reconsider his future with the national team.
High profile names like Petr Cech and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have already announced their international retirement, while the likes of Tomas Rosicky, Iker Casillas, Patrice Evra, Gianluigi Buffon and Eidur Gudjohnsen are unlikely to feature in another major tournament for their national teams.
Now one of Germany and Chelsea’s biggest legends Michael Ballack has urged his country’s captain Bastian Schweinsteiger to step down from the international stage. Ballack, who himself captained Die Mannschaft for almost 6 years, expressed concerns about Schweinsteiger’s injury problems.
“On the future of the national team also includes the role of Bastian Schweinsteiger,” he wrote in his column for German publication Express. “I know that he is brutally ambitious. But if you have seen him in the last two years, I have to honestly say I’m worried about his physical condition because of his many injuries.
“Therefore, I do not know if he would do a favor to himself by calling the World Cup in Russia his next personal goal. I would advise him to think carefully over this step. I’m afraid he might get into a situation that other players could use to make question his status in the team. Schweinsteiger does not deserve that.”
The former Chelsea midfielder also suggested that the German captain should concentrate on his responsibilities at new club Manchester United.
Bastian Schweinsteiger joined Manchester United for £6.5 million in the summer of 2015, but the 31-year-old midfielder failed to make the expected impact in the Premier League. He scored just twice in 18 appearances for the Red Devils in the Premier League as injury problems prevented him from building any momentum or consistency.
This continued the negative trend of Schweinsteiger’s decreasing league appearances since the 2012-13 season, when he made 28 appearances. A knee injury kept him out of action during the tail end of last season. He managed to regain fitness for Euro 2016, but was again hit by his knee problems and became a major doubt for the semi-final against France. It is a testament to the German captain’s will that he recovered to play a part in the match, but Ballack’s assessment of the situation reflects the sad truth about the situation Schweinsteiger finds himself in.
