[Oliver_Kahn]

One of the devilish training routines dreamed up by the coaching staff for the first team squad at the Dubai training camp involved a flat-out slalom through a course marked out by 13 medicine balls. Arguably the most elegant charge around the hurdles was performed by Bastian Schweinsteiger, perhaps unsurprising for a man regarded just six years ago as one of Germany's most promising young skiers.

The German Ski Association was to be disappointed, as Schweini opted for football and a stellar ascent to the pinnacle of the gate. At just 22, the player is a fixture in the Germany team which finished third at the World Cup, and has won German championship and German Cup honours three times apiece. The midfielder is now being groomed for a major role in the Bayern team of the future.

From Schweini to Bastian

"He could be one of the greats," Uli Hoeneß declared in a recent interview, although the Reds' general manager called on the youngster to become "more serious. He needs to produce the form he showed at the World Cup more consistently." Oliver Kahn called on the midfielder "to take the next step. He needs to move on from 'Schweini' and become Bastian," the veteran keeper declared.

Schweinsteiger himself acknowledges that he no longer rates as a fresh-faced youngster, and must be prepared to accept more responsibility. "People expect a lot more of me than they did three years ago," he explained in Dubai. Formerly deployed almost exclusively as a wide man, Bastian occupied the pivotal central role behind the forward line in the last few matches before Christmas.

Good reviews

Most commentators agree he performed with credit. "The team has told me I did well," he reported, "and the coach was happy too, so it can't have been all that bad." The player could well continue in the playmaking department for the rest of the season. "I know I can play there. I was always used in the centre in my youth," he explained.

Nevertheless, coach Felix Magath has declined to confirm whether Schweinsteiger will be entrusted with the distribution role from now on. The boss has used the mid-season friendlies to try out a number of variations, with Schweinsteiger back in his former position out on the left.

Brazilian in disguise?

The man capped 41 times by Germany would be happy enough on the wing. "We all know he's one of Germany's best players," Roy Makaay recently commented. Schweinsteiger would even make it in Brazil, it seems. "I'd call him up," Brazil boss Carlos Dunga recently told SportBild magazine, quite an achievement for a former skiing prodigy turned star footballer.