• Football

Merkel 'saw Schweinsteiger naked'

German tabloid Bild joked about Merkel and Schweinsteiger's 'special relationship' © Getty Images

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German chancellor Angela Merkel once caught a glimpse of a naked Bastian Schweinsteiger, according to DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach.

The German federation chief revealed the delicate details of a dressing-room visit made by Merkel after Germany's 4-2 win over Greece at Euro 2012.

The newly re-elected head of the German government is not only a frequent guest at the national side's big games, but the 58-year-old is also known to visit the players after major victories to congratulate them.

Speaking at a conference in Dusseldorf on Monday, Niersbach told more than 500 guests that, during one of her visits, Merkel "saw more of Schweini than she should have", as German newspaper Bild put it in their Wednesday issue under the headline "Chancellor saw Schweinsteiger naked".

"When the chancellor comes into the dressing room, they all have to be dressed - that was my job at that time," Niersbach said, according to Bild. "We forgot one player was still in the shower."

When questioned about the identity of the player, Niersbach mischievously replied: "Not telling! That would be embarrassing for Bastian Schweinsteiger."

The paper then reports a similar incident following Germany's 4-0 win over Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, when Merkel saw a bare-chested Schweinsteiger celebrating the victory with a bottle of beer.

"The Bayern star and Mrs. Merkel - a special relationship," the tabloid surmised.

It is not the first time this week that a major world leader has been paired in the news with a Bundesliga player.

On Tuesday, Schalke chief Clemens Tonnies revealed that Russian president Vladimir Putin "explicitly praised" the club for the signing of Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Angela Merkel has dinner with the national side during Euro 2012 - and is sat opposite Bastian Schweinsteiger © Getty Images

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