Blog: Under the thumb
So Bastian Schweinsteiger may not sign for Juventus because his girlfriend doesn't fancy Turin. Steve Wilson thinks he should grow some balls
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is on Juventus' radar for a January swoop but the deal may a non-starter because the player's girlfriend, Sarah Brandner, does not like the idea of moving to Turin. Excuse me, run that by me again…
Sadly this is not the first, and won't be the last, occasion where a player's career is dictated to him by his domineering missus. The cold hard facts are that the Bavarian ball-winner is the money-maker in their partnership, she needs him more than he needs her. It seems ludicrous that this talented professional athlete would allow the destination of his career to be dictated by the whims of a teenage girl.
The model previously dated boxer Vladimir Klitschko, presumably until he suggested a weekend away in Kiev, and has made her name largely since becoming attached to Schweini - the fact that she is only known in her homeland seems to be the basis of her self-centred opposition to the Italian switch. Although the 24-year-old claims he is playing better since he began dating her, he must surely realise that it is his own best interests that have to take precedence.
He has been at Bayern since 1998, making his pro debut in 2002, and while I am not suggesting that a failure to leave Munich would mark him as a failure - they too are a great and historic club - the whole scenario does make him look rather weak and limp. We have already seen how the once great Andriy Shevchenko was transformed into a neutered shadow of himself when he lost control of the trousers to his wife Kristen Pazik in 2006, how many more footballers must we lose under the thumbs of an assortment of European bimbos?
Barring injury, Schweinsteiger's career has around a decade left. He has plenty of time to make another move abroad in the future if this one does fall through, but if he is allowing the important decisions to be made by his other half then his bright potential may well be restricted to the Bundesliga. But where does it end? What if she doesn't fancy being on her own one weekend when the German national team calls? You may think that an extreme example but don't bet against a situation like that occurring before the decade is out.
What makes it all the more galling for Juventus fans who would like to see the young German in Turin is the fact that on the wages Bastian is getting he could fly his lover out to Turin every week if she did not want to move permanently herself. To be honest though, if Schweinsteiger is not man enough to stand up for himself off the pitch do Juventus really want him on the field in the important role currently held by Pavel Nedved? I'd suggest that they look elsewhere for a real man.
Channel 4