Franz Beckenbauer talks about 30-year-olds like they’re fit for the funeral home.
It’s become commonplace that the bigger names in European football make the move to MLS in their mid-to-late thirties to see out their careers but the German legend thinks Manchester United’s newest signing should have gone to the States rather than England.
“I find it very brave to make a move like this at his age,” Beckenbauer said. “People know Schweinsteiger at Bayern and know what he can do.
“That’s not the case in England and he will have to prove himself all over again. I wish him all the best and hope he can represent German football well in England, but not a lot of players have succeeded in doing so.
“A move to the MLS would have made more sense for me.”
Beckenbauer was 32 when he transferred from the Bundesliga to the New York Cosmos for the first time but, at 30, Schweinsteiger insists that he still has a lot more to offer on the European scene.
“I don’t know when Beckenbauer moved to America, but I am 30,” Schweinsteiger said. “It is a challenge for me to prove I can do it here, but I am confident I can adjust to the Premier League.
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“I had my knee trouble after the World Cup which was very intensive for me and I had a break in October.
“But I have a lot of experience in big matches and that is an advantage. My style of play is to control a game, so you have to be smart in your brain and fast. I want to make a positive impact and I think I can contribute a lot to the team.”
