Fans pay homage as Schweinsteiger named "Man of the Match"

Germany was in raptures on Tuesday as millions of fans took to the Berlin Fan Mile to welcome their world champions home. In securing a long-awaited fourth World Cup star, "Die Mannschaft" impressed with their teamwork, and the willingness of exceptional individuals to work for the good of the team proved to be a key factor in their success.

For this reason, the Man of the Match poll on fanclub.dfb.de featured a new player after the World Cup Final against Argentina: the team itself. Nevertheless, most of the 32,484 votes were still cast for individuals, with 12,461 votes (38.36 per cent) going to Bastian Schweinsteiger. The poll was a deserved acknowledgement for an excellent performance in which "Basti" collected 102 passes, won the ball eight times and covered a distance of 15.339 kilometres – figures that neatly illustrate his sheer will to win.

Long-awaited title after ten years of development

The 29-year-old worked particularly tirelessly in extra time despite being fouled, punched, cut and plagued by cramp. Each time he got back on his feet, motivated purely by the desire to lift the only trophy still missing from his list of major honours. His hard work paid off, and since 13 July Bastian Schweinsteiger is not only a seven-time German champion, seven-time DFB Cup winner, Champions League winner, UEFA Supercup winner and FIFA Club World Cup champion, but a world champion too. "We've finally got the bloody thing!" he cried to the assembled fans on the Berlin Fan Mile.

For Schweinsteiger, "finally" means after a ten-year wait, having made his senior international debut against Hungary nine days before EURO 2004. Just four days earlier, he and Lukas Podolski were playing for the U 21 side at their home European Championship in Mainz – the man from Cologne was also promoted to the senior side after that youth match against Portugal. By the time the Confederations Cup rolled around the following year, Schweini's and Poldi's fresh and exciting brand of attacking football and youthful exuberance made them household names, and a nation's hopes settled on their shoulders.

Leading his team-mates to victory

With that same hope and the prospect of fantastic matches, Germany was soon swept away on a euphoric wave of flagwaving, fan miles and public viewings at its home World Cup in 2006. It was a summer fairytale that ended with an emotional semi-final defeat by Italy. As "Die Mannschaft" failed to make that final step towards victory at subsequent tournaments, questions were already being asked about Schweinsteiger's leadership qualities. However, the team’s triumph in Rio de Janeiro means there is now no disputing the plaudits heaped on the Bayern Munich midfielder, including "Boss", "Leader, Fighter, Legend" and "Heart and Mind".

The 29-year-old defied the Argentinians in the World Cup Final and radiated assurance throughout. He dug deep in defensive midfield and won the ball again and again. His demeanour and body language resounded throughout the team and gave even the younger, less experienced players confidence at the game’s most critical moments. All talk about weak links within the squad has long been forgotten.

This highly-talented generation celebrated a deserved triumph at the Maracana. In that moment, the seeds sown almost ten years earlier produced a fourth star. Germany are now world champions and Bastian Schweinsteiger has achieved his ultimate goal. "The best thing of all is that we've finally made people really happy and taken that final step," he explained. "We're enjoying this moment. Unbelievable!"