Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the most recognizable German soccer players in the world. Years as the hub of legendary Bayern Munich and German national teams have made him one of the first things many soccer fans think of when they think of Germany. But there’s another, less-pleasant thing that comes to mind, and Chinese toy company DiD Corporation hs made the mistake of mixing the two. They made a figurine of a Nazi soldier, and, well, just look at it:
They even named it Bastian!
Well, unsurprisingly, Schweinsteiger is suing DiD for using his likeness without permission, and you gotta admit he has a strong case. A representative for DiD released a statement in defense, though, and it is GOLD: “We think that all Germans look like that. Bastian is also a very common name in Germany. It is a complete coincidence that the figure ‘Bastian’ looks like Schweinsteiger.”
Put another way, DiD is saying that they’re too racist to know that their figure named Bastian is a dead ringer for the most famous Bastian in the world. All Germans look like that? Jerome Boateng is German.
Mesut Ozil is German.
But only one of them was made into a toy of a Nazi looking really stoked to be carrying two loaves of bread while wearing a heavy coat. This might be from the “Doomed Invasion Of Russia” line. Also, his hat’s removable, and wouldn’t you know it, the toy has the same damn haircut as Schweinsteiger:
Stay tuned for when this lawsuit shows up in court, and Schweinsteiger’s opening statement is, “Seriously? LOOK AT ME.”
(Via TMZ)
