Xherdan Shaqiri is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team.
39 Facts About Xherdan Shaqiri
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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 the 2010,2014,2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as well as UEFA Euro 2016 and UEFA Euro 2020.
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Xherdan Shaqiri was born in Zheger, Gjilan, SFR Yugoslavia, to Kosovar Albanian parents.
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Xherdan Shaqiri immigrated 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 FC 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.
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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.
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On 9 February 2022, Xherdan Shaqiri joined Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire FC on a contract that will run through the 2024 season as a Designated Player.
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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.
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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.
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Xherdan Shaqiri is nicknamed "the Alpine Messi" and "the magic dwarf".
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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.
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In 2018, Xherdan Shaqiri was the most Googled personality in Switzerland.