1. Xherdan Shaqiri moved to Bayern Munich in 2012, where he won three Bundesliga titles in his three seasons at the club.
46 Facts About Xherdan Shaqiri
1. 2.
Xherdan Shaqiri faced stiff competition at Bayern and did not nail down a first-team spot.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was part of the UEFA Champions League winning squad in his first season.
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Xherdan Shaqiri won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019, as well as the Premier League in 2020, Liverpool's first league title in 30 years.
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Xherdan Shaqiri represented the nation at four FIFA World Cups, as well as three UEFA European Championships.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was born in Zheger, Gjilan, SFR Yugoslavia, to Kosovar Albanian parents.
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Xherdan Shaqiri emigrated to Switzerland in 1992 with his parents and three siblings.
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Xherdan Shaqiri's brother, Arianit Shaqiri, is a youth football coach.
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Xherdan Shaqiri's father did not speak Swiss German, so he had to start out washing dishes in a restaurant, before working construction on roads.
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Xherdan Shaqiri's mother worked as a cleaner in office buildings in the city, with which he and his brothers helped.
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Xherdan Shaqiri idolised Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who he said played "like magic".
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Xherdan Shaqiri started his career at hometown club SV Augst, and at the age of eight he was scouted by Basel.
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Two years later, Xherdan Shaqiri signed his first professional contract with Basel on 2 January 2009, with the new contract keeping him at St Jakob-Park until December 2011.
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Xherdan Shaqiri faced competition for a place in the midfield from established internationals Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller.
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On 16 April 2013, Xherdan Shaqiri scored in the DFB-Pokal semi-final against VfL Wolfsburg with a long-range shot.
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Xherdan Shaqiri knew exactly what he was doing, it is absolutely sublime.
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The deal was revived a month later with Xherdan Shaqiri agreeing to personal terms and undergoing medicals.
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored two long-range goals against Hull City on 22 October 2016, becoming the first Stoke player to do so in a Premier League game.
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored another long range strike against Hull on 15 April 2017 which was named as Stoke's goal of the season.
20.
In March 2018, with Stoke battling against relegation, Xherdan Shaqiri courted controversy with an interview for Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte in which he said there was a "lack of quality" in his Stoke teammates and that even the presence of Ronaldinho would not improve the team.
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Xherdan Shaqiri played 38 times for the club in the season and finished as top goalscorer for the club with 8 goals, providing 7 assists.
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Xherdan Shaqiri later said he wanted to stay at Anfield.
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In June 2020, Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions, and Xherdan Shaqiri received a medal as he made the required number of appearances for one.
24.
On 9 February 2022, Xherdan Shaqiri joined Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire on a contract that was to run through the 2024 season as a Designated Player.
25.
On 14 August 2024, the Fire and Xherdan Shaqiri mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
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The separation was officially amicable, with Xherdan Shaqiri explaining that he felt it was the "right time" to "explore new opportunities".
27.
On 16 August 2024, two days after leaving the Chicago Fire, Xherdan Shaqiri returned to FC Basel, rejoining on a three-year contract.
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored his first goal for them on 11 June 2011 in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship opening game against Denmark.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was included in the 2010 World Cup squad, after receiving a surprise call-up from manager Ottmar Hitzfeld.
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Xherdan Shaqiri wore boots with the flags of Kosovo, Albania and Switzerland for the match.
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In June 2014, Xherdan Shaqiri was named in Switzerland's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
32.
Xherdan Shaqiri earned the same title ten days later in Switzerland's third group match, for scoring a hat-trick against Honduras, which included a bending strike from 30 yards, and ensuring Switzerland a spot in the knockout stage.
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored three times in Switzerland's successful qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 2016, with all of his strikes coming against Lithuania.
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However, since Xherdan Shaqiri continued to play for Switzerland after Kosovo had become a member of FIFA, it ruled out the possibility of Xherdan Shaqiri's eligibility to Kosovo.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was included in Switzerland's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was part of Switzerland's squad at the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals in Portugal.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was named in the Team of the Tournament.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was named in the 26-man Swiss squad for the postponed UEFA Euro 2020.
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On 15 November 2021, Xherdan Shaqiri became only the fifth Swiss player to reach 100 caps when he started Switzerland's final 2022 World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria.
40.
On 7 June 2024, Xherdan Shaqiri was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.
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Xherdan Shaqiri is the first player to score at the last six major international championships.
42.
On 15 July 2024, Xherdan Shaqiri announced his retirement from the national team, having made 125 appearances and scored 32 goals.
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Xherdan Shaqiri is nicknamed "the Alpine Messi" and "the magic dwarf".
44.
Xherdan Shaqiri is a Muslim but celebrates Christmas, despite it being a mainly Christian holiday.
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Xherdan Shaqiri wears Nike Mercurial Vapor boots, and at the 2018 World Cup he had the flags of Switzerland and Kosovo embroidered on each heel.
46.
In 2018, Xherdan Shaqiri was the most Googled personality in Switzerland.