FLASH NEWS
Shaqiri's brilliance returns in Basel, after career stagnation in MLS
2025-04-18 22:03:26 / SPORT
Xherdan Shaqiri's resurgence after leaving Chicago Fire and returning to Basel this season - as well as his goals galore in the spring - have seen the Swiss team march towards their first title in the Swiss top flight in eight years.
Shaqiri's status as a key player at his hometown club - which he left in 2012 to join German giants Bayern Munich - was made clear with two impressive goals last weekend in a 4-0 win over arch-rivals Zurich.
"Look at the result, no more words are needed," the 33-year-old captain said of the victory that helped Basel secure a six-point lead in a tight six-team race.
With his famous left foot, Shaqiri struck the ball hard, sending it into a tight space between the upright and the crossbar, and finally into the net. He then scored the second goal from a free kick.
Now, with 13 goals, Shaqiri is the top scorer in the Swiss Super League, which is a personal record, and he also has 14 assists in just 28 matches.
If he scores a goal when Basel host Yverdon on Monday, Shaqiri will equal the number of goals he scored during his two-and-a-half years in MLS with the Chicago Fire.
Chicago finished with a negative balance in each of Shaqiri's three seasons there and has failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2017 - the same year that Basel's run as eight-time consecutive champions in Switzerland also ended.
That streak began in Shaqiri's debut season, 2009-2010, which ended with his first participation in a World Cup, as an 18-year-old talent.
He did not score a goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but did so in the three subsequent World Cups, as well as in three European Championships from 2016 to 2024.
Shaqiri scored an unprecedented goal against Scotland last June in the only match where he started five matches at Euro 2024, after losing his undisputed place to a very impressive Switzerland, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals by England, after penalties.
Shaqiri converted his penalty after coming on as a substitute in extra time, in what was his final appearance for the national team in his 125th match.
He retired from the national team after the tournament and, a month later, agreed to terminate his contract with Chicago Fire, in a decision the club described as "in the best interests of all parties."
Shaqiri - born in Kosovo - immediately returned to Basel, the club with which he had started his career at the age of 8 and with which he had won the Swiss league in each of his first three seasons.
After leaving Basel for the first time, when he was replaced by a young Mohamed Salah, Shaqiri won a Champions League medal with Bayern in his first season. He won another in 2019 with Liverpool - as a teammate of Salah - although he did not play in either final.
Basel last played in the Champions League in 2018 and will take part in the qualifying rounds in August if Shaqiri's team can maintain their six-point lead over Servette with just six games remaining.
Without the burden of long trips from the United States to play for the national team, Shaqiri has managed his fitness better throughout this Swiss season, which will end with the league being split into a championship group between the top half of the 12 teams.
"We are setting the pace," said Shaqiri, speaking about a four-game winning streak in which he has scored four goals.
"Let's see what others will do," he concluded./ REL
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