Schweinsteiger revealed Hargreaves as role model and was desperate for his boots!

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has revealed his role model as a youngster was Owen Hargreaves and he was desperate for his boots.

Reflecting on his development and growth at the Bundesliga outfit, the Germany international looked back at the years he had as a child and also revealed a few old memories.

"I was a ball-boy at the stadium, it was always fantastic being up close to the pitch, watching the stars," said the 26-year-old to Bayern's official website.

"Elber, [Oliver] Kahn, [Jens] Jeremies, [Thomas] Linke, [Mehmet] Scholl – and a couple of years later, I was playing alongside them. I also watched them train as often as I could, after I’d cycled back from school to the club’s youth hostel.

"I recall once being the only person at the training ground, and I spent ages watching Owen Hargreaves all on his own, playing a ball against a wooden bench and trapping the rebound. He’d already signed pro forms back then.

"And I was desperate to get hold of a pair of boots like the pros wore, and I basically begged him to give me his!"

When asked whether Hargreaves gave him what he wanted, Schweinsteiger replied: "Yes, he gave in at some point. We’d known each other for a long time, we’d both lodged in the club hostel.