Bastian Schweinsteiger inspires as an ARD expert at the National League final

Bastian Schweinsteiger inspires as an ARD expert at the National League final

München, Deutschland - Today Bastian Schweinsteiger and Esther Sedlaczek are the focus of interest, as they will perform as a moderator duo at the National League final Four in Munich. Schweinsteiger, who has now worked as a TV expert for the ARD, has had intensive work phases in the past few weeks. Already at the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, he was on site and prepared for his future missions. He is particularly excited about today's game between Spain and France, whose winner moves into the final, while the loser meets the DFB selection that fights for third place.

The former football professional ended his active career in 2019 at the MLS club Chicago Fire. In his heyday he won eight German championship titles, seven DFB Cup victories and crowned his career with the 2013 Champions League title and the 2014 World Championship. On Instagram, he recently showed his support for the DFB team in the semi-finals against Portugal, which underlines his connection to German football.

collaboration with the ARD

Schweinsteiger will be preserved as an expert until at least 2024 and will continue to moderate alongside Esther Sedlaczek. The ARD sports coordination under Axel Balkausky was positive about the cooperation and praised Schweinsteiger for his entertaining analyzes and the ability to convey technical knowledge in an appealing way. These assessments are based on his good performance during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he worked together with Sedlaczek, which Jessy Wellmer replaced.

ARD boss describes the cooperation with the former football professional as a great honor, and Schweinsteiger himself sees the opportunity to develop further in this area. He started his work as a TV expert shortly after his end of his career, even if there were incidents in the past in which he violated advertising guidelines.

Financial aspects of ARD

The ARD has recently published remuneration for its sports experts. A total of 1.91 million euros were paid as part of the 2022/23 season. The average fee for experts is around 117,000 euros. Moderators such as Alexander Bommes receive an average of 147,000 euros. It is assumed that the fee for the 2023/2024 season, which is characterized by the upcoming football European Championship in Germany, will increase. Top experts such as Schweinsteiger are expected to benefit from higher fees.

These financial framework shows how valuable the expertise of former professionals such as Schweinsteiger is for the station. The increasing interest in football broadcasts, especially during major tournaments, will have a negative impact on the fees of the ZDF moderators who do not regularly disclose their remuneration in a comparison.