Hero in Switzerland 

©TM/IMAGO

Xherdan Shaqiri has enjoyed a glittering career but he’s experiencing a renaissance, where it all started at FC Basel as he enters his twilight years. Shaqiri earned a glowing reputation as he emerged at Basel to earn his major move to Bayern Munich in 2012 and he made a heartwarming return to his boyhood club last summer. Thousands of Basel fans lined the streets to welcome their hero back to Switzerland after a frustrating spell in Chicago. 

Shaqiri is arguably the most decorated Swiss footballer in history with two Champions League titles at Bayern Munich and Liverpool, plus league titles in Germany and England. Switzerland’s second-most capped player also won three Super League titles in his previous spell at Basel and he’s transformed their fortunes this season and he could lead them to their first title in eight years.

Xherdan Shaqiri’s incredible impact at Basel 

Basel endured a miserable 2023/24 campaign, finishing ninth in the regular season to drop into the relegation section for the play-offs. Shaqiri, however, has been the catalyst to Basel’s resurgence and they finished top of the Super League regular season table with a 5-0 win over Yverdon at the weekend – Shaqiri provided three assists. Basel start their quest to win the title in the play-offs against Servette on May 4th but Shaqiri has already enjoyed a remarkable campaign.

 As the graphic above illustrates, Mohamed Salah (45) and Harry Kane (33) are the only two players in their thirties to register more goal contributions that Shaqiri this season – across the top 15 leagues. The attacking midfielder is the top goalscorer in the Swiss top-flight with 14 goals and he’s provided 17 assists – eight more than the second placed player. On his season, Shaqiri said: “I’m very proud of the development of the team and the whole club. I hope we stay up there – consistency is the key. I wanted to help Basel to be successful again and that’s why I came back.”

The view from Switzerland on Xherdan Shaqiri 

Shaqiri is absolutely adored in his homeland and he was the most googled person in Switzerland in 2018 after joining Liverpool. The diminutive magician’s performances in major tournaments for his country earned him legendary status with Shaqiri scoring ten goals and providing four assists across 24 games at the World Cup and European championships. 

 And Shaqiri exploits this upon his return to Switzerland have been outstanding as explained by Maximilian Meyer, Swiss football expert at Transfermarkt. “He’s been deployed as a clear playmaker with plenty of freedom between the lines,” said Meyer. “As a result, Shaqiri has been able to shape the game and he’s been central to Basel’s attacking play. He’s known as ‘Zauberwürfel’ in Switzerland, which means magic cube and he sprinkled stardust on this Basel team. He needed time to gain full fitness after returning but he’s been scoring or assisting in every game since October and he’s been captain again since January.”