Ex-Man United star Tuanzebe names Schweinsteiger the best Red Devils player he played with, snubs Ronaldo
On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe revealed that Bastian Schweinsteiger, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo, was the best Red Devils player he ever played with during his time at the club.
Tuanzebe, 27, struggled to secure regular first-team football during his six seasons at Manchester United, making only 37 appearances across all competitions. He was later loaned out to Aston Villa, but during his time at Old Trafford, he had the opportunity to share the pitch with some of the club’s most iconic players, including Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo.
However, instead of choosing either of those legends, Tuanzebe opted to single out Schweinsteiger, the renowned Bayern Munich midfielder who played for United from 2015 to 2017.
Tuanzebe explained on The Overlap podcast: “He was 34, 35 at the time… I could not get anywhere near him, and I’m 19 at this point, so I’ve got legs for days! He was three, four, five steps ahead of me. He knew how to control the ball and make me off balance.”
Reflecting further on Schweinsteiger’s unique qualities, Tuanzebe added: “He was incredible in the box, I’ve never seen a player… he had an ability to slow down time. The ball, it’s like a ping pong in there especially at that level.”
Tuanzebe also reminisced about the quality of United’s squad at the time, saying, “You had a box of Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ashley Young, Michael Carrick, Schweinsteiger. In four or five days (of training), you might see him in the middle twice. It was unbelievable.”
Schweinsteiger left Manchester United in the summer of 2017 and went on to retire from professional football in January 2020 after a stint with MLS side Chicago Fire
