Rummenigge raves about Schweinsteiger

20 February 2012 12:59

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Bastian Schweinsteiger is just as good as Barcelona stars Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

The Germany international Schweinsteiger has developed into a key figure at the Bavarian club since former coach Louis van Gaal reinvented him as a holding midfielder, and Rummenigge believes he holds as much sway in the centre of the pitch as the world-class Barca pair.

"He was absolutely fantastic until he got injured. There's not much of a difference between Bastian, Xavi and Iniesta. He's a very important player at Bayern," Rummenigge told Kicker.

Rummenigge added that he felt it would be hard for Bayern to succeed in the Champions League this campaign.

"I am deliberately cautious when we're talking about the Champions League. Real (Madrid), Barcelona and AC Milan are fantastic clubs in my opinion. We have closed the gap with them a bit in the past two years, but they are still slightly ahead of us," he said.

Bayern will take on Basel in their round-of-16 first leg clash in Switzerland on Wednesday.