Soccer star Bastian Schweinsteiger is suing a Chinese toy company for allegedly using his name and likeness for its Nazi action figures.
The BBC reported that the management company for the Manchester United midfielder filed the suit in Germany earlier this week, specifically pointing to Dragon in Dream's "World War II Army Supply Duty — Bastian."
"This is a clear violation of Schweinsteiger's personality rights," said Ulrich Amelung, a German media lawyer. "Everyone has rights to their own image. To see him as a swastika-bearing Wehrmacht soldier also constitutes a gross defamation and insult."
The doll currently retails for £80 ($120 USD).
In a response to the suit, the Chinese company said the resemblance was not intended.
"We don't sell any figures which resemble footballers. It is a complete coincidence that the figure 'Bastian' looks like Schweinsteiger," said Patrick Chan, a company spokesman.
"We thought that all Germans look like that. Bastian is also a very common name in Germany."
Schweinsteiger, 31, won the World Cup with Germany in 2014.
He joined Manchester United in July after signing a three-year contract worth a reported £14.4 million ($22 million USD).
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.