'Shosholoza!' ... Bastian Schweinsteiger's lasting memory from the 2010 World Cup in SA

German football legend Bastian Schweinsteiger’s lasting memory of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is not finishing third or beating Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi’s Argentina 4-0.

It definitely wasn’t the blaring vuvuzelas that turned the fans’ lips into mini balloons on the stands and made it a nightmare for the players to communicate on it.

Instead it was the German national team’s parting moment with the staff at their base, which is something that has remained in his heart for the last 15 years. And, during the Heineken UEFA Champions League trophy tour in South Africa over the weekend, he couldn’t wait to relive it again.

Heineken has been taking the prestigious trophy away from its home in Europe to celebrate the fans in Africa and Asia, with Schweinsteiger enjoying the trip back down memory lane. 

As his one-stage Q&A with sports broadcaster Robert Marawa concluded, Schweinsteiger and Marawa broke out in song, singing “Shosholoza”, a song sung by workers in the mines during Apartheid, but has become synonymous with big sporting events in South Africa since the 1995 Rugby World Cup on home soil.

“We had our headquarters in Johannesburg. When we were leaving the training ground to go to the semi-finals against Spain in Durban, the South African staff who looked after us joined us and they sang the song,” Schweinsteiger told IOL Sport.

“It's always been in my mind, because people also used to sing it in the stadiums as well.

“It’s one of my best memories, it’s an example of the vibe here and how lovely the people were during that tournament. The love towards us as players.”

Schweinsteiger believes that the World Cup provided the platform for their win four years later in Brazil, when they beat Messi’s Argentina in the final.

“In the 2010 World Cup, we finished third as a young team. That gave us the belief that we could go further. And, for me, it was probably my best World Cup. I wasn’t injured and I played at a very high level.”

But while Schweinsteiger enjoyed talking about his 2010, the reason why they came to show off the big-eared Champions League trophy was to create some excitement ahead of this week’s semi-finals, with 

Paris Saint-Germain taking on Arsenal and Barcelona playing Inter Milan.

With the final being played in Munich, where Schweinsteiger spent the bulk of his career with Bayern Munich, the former German midfielder is rather sad his former team couldn’t do the business to get over the line against Inter.

However, he fancies a Barcelona vs PSG final, despite Arsenal finding some form in the competition and knocking out defending champions Real Madrid.

“Arsenal have a chance. If you beat Real Madrid in a knockout game, it’s absolutely possible,” he said.

However, he thinks PSG may just be too strong for Arsenal, especially after their performance in the last 16 against Liverpool, playing some amazing football after losing superstars such as Messi and Kylian Mbappe over the last few years.

“I think the biggest superstar is [PSG coach} Luis Enrique. When we were facing Barcelona when he was manager, he was doing an amazing job,” Schweinsteiger said.

“How he handled the situation with the players leaving, it’s been fantastic. How they performed against Liverpool, I didn’t expect it, but that’s why I rate them very highly.

“PSG and Barcelona are definitely the favourites to win this competition.”

@JohnGoliath82