In more than a decade as a regular for Germany's biggest club, Bastian Schweinsteiger has become the living embodiment of Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old remains a hugely influential figure, “our midfield anchor and strategist," as boss Jupp Heynckes has said.
Bastian is also proving a tremendously popular personality with the local fans at the training camp in Doha, where he spoke at length with fcbayern.de about the season so far and the challenges still to come. He also revealed just how important the mid-season break is to him.
Interview: Bastian Schweinsteiger
fcbayern.de: Bastian, are you rested and relaxed after the holidays?
Bastian Schweinsteiger: Yes, I've recuperated, although I didn't just spend the holidays lounging around. I went running, I played tennis, and I also tried kayaking for the first time, which was real fun.
There's no winter break in England, for example, but how important is it to you?
Some of the top players in the Premier League are actually given five days off to rebuild strength in the winter. That's like taking a short holiday. For me personally, this year's winter break was very, very valuable - as always.
Why?
I was really exhausted after the first half of the season. Over the final few weeks, I felt my batteries going flat with every passing match. We had to play a lot of high-quality football to earn ourselves the lead in the Bundesliga, and that took a lot of energy. The break came at just the right time.
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