Schweinsteiger to Beste on national team prospects: "Please keep dreaming."
FC Heidenheim sensation Jan-Niklas Beste and German footballing legend Bastian Schweinsteiger got into a rather interesting conversation during last night's German public television program "ZDF Sportstudio".
Matters continue to proceed on the upward trajectory for Bundesliga "assist meister" Jan-Niklas Beste. In his first Bundesliga season, the 25-year-old has now scored five goals and registered eight assists for surprise top-flight promotion side 1. FC Heidenheim. Beste has seen his estimated market worth rise from €1.5 million to €12 million in the last calendar year. There's talk of him being one of the best goal-providers in Europe and calls for him to join the German national team.
As a guest on German public television program "ZDF Sportstudio" last night, Beste did his best to handle all the publicity with his trademark modesty. Beste pointed out that he had only made 16 appearances in the Bundesliga to date. Thoughts of making a jump to the Bundesrepublik's "Nationalmannschaft" were, in Beste's own words, "absurdly premature". German footballing legend Bastian Schweinsteiger expressed a different opinion in a clip shown to Beste via video link."
"Your speed, your left foot, your set-piece, the way you work against the ball," Schweinsteiger noted whilst specifically listing Bette's skill set, "I have to say that it's all very strong. I wish I had that in my career. Please keep dreaming and perhaps we'll see you [at the European Championships] this summer."
Beste later admitted that he was sincerely flattered by Schweinsteiger's praise, saying that he had "collected dozens" of Schweinsteiger jerseys in his youth. A beaming Beste noted that "it's very nice to hear that". As he had insisted earlier, however, the Hamm-native insisted that "dreams should begin smaller".