Adidas Schweinsteiger 7 Germany Home 2012 Jersey

In Germanys qualification in Group A Schweinsteiger established himself as first choice as defensive midfielder. He played 5 matches - once against each opponent: Belgium, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Austria and Turkey - and helped Germany win ten out of ten games scoring once and providing one assist.

Schweinsteiger began his career as a winger and a utility player. With the arrival of Louis van Gaal to Bayern, he began playing in centre midfield to accommodate wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry. Bastian Schweinsteiger has excellent dribbling skills, ball control, precise passing and good tackling capability, plus he is a set piece taker. Schweinsteiger is also a superb reader of the game and has scored spectacularly due to his good positioning. He also has the ability to shoot at target from distance, as in the third-place match against Portugal during the 2006 World Cup where he scored two goals from long range and almost a third from a set piece. He has since thrived in his new role and uses his passing and tackling to great effect in initiating attacks and dictating play.