Xherdan Shaqiri

Basel

Shaqiri started his career at hometown club SV Augst, and at the age of eight he was scouted by Basel. Whilst playing for Basel's youth team, he competed in the Under-15 Nike Cup 2007 and was named the best player of the tournament. Despite having several other clubs attempting to sign him, he decided to stay with Basel, where he played for their reserve team from 2007 to 2009 in the Swiss 1. Liga. Two years later, 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. Shaqiri made his Basel club debut as a substitute on 12 July 2009 in Basel's 2009–10 season opening match against FC St. Gallen at the AFG Arena. Four months later he scored his first goal for Basel in a 4–1 win over Neuchâtel Xamax at home on 9 November 2009. At the end of the 2009–10 season Shaqiri won the national Double with Basel, and a year later won the league title again. In December 2011, Shaqiri provided two assists in a match against Manchester United, with Basel winning 2–1. At the end of the 2011–12 season, for the second time in his Basel stint, he won the Double, consisting of the League title, and the Swiss Cup.

Bayern Munich

On 9 February 2012, Basel announced that Shaqiri had accepted a transfer to German club Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga for the 2012–13 season. The transfer fee was a reported €11.6 million, with Shaqiri signing a four-year contract with the German club…

Youth career and early senior career

Shaqiri made his debut for Switzerland under-21s on 11 November 2009 in a 3–1 win against Turkey in a 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier. He scored his first goal for them on 11 June 2011 in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship opening game against Denmark. Shaqiri was promoted to the Switzerland senior team in 2010, making his debut on 3 March 2010 in a 3–1 friendly loss against Uruguay. He was included in the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, after receiving a surprise call-up from manager Ottmar Hitzfeld. Shaqiri scored his first goal for them on 7 September 2010, a long range left-footed shot, in a 1–3 loss against England in a Euro 2012 qualifier. He netted a hat-trick in another Euro 2012 qualifier on 6 September 2011, as Switzerland came from behind to beat Bulgaria 3–1. Switzerland also tried to select him to participate in the 2012 Olympic Football tournament, but he opted to stay at his new club for pre-season training.

2014 FIFA World Cup

On 11 September 2012, Shaqiri did not sing the Swiss national anthem in a World Cup qualifier against his ancestral Albania in Lucerne, and did not celebrate when he scored the opening goal of a 2–0 win. He wore boots with the flags of Kosovo, Albania and Switzerland for the match. In June 2014, Shaqiri was named in Switzerland's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the team's opening match, Shaqiri was named man of the match by FIFA as the Nati defeated…

Shaqiri primarily plays as a right winger and FIFA's official website describes him as "unpredictable on the ball, adept with both feet, clinical in front of goal and possessing excellent vision." He was described in The Daily Telegraph as "stocky and powerful" with a "wand of a left foot". He is nicknamed "the Alpine Messi" and "the magic dwarf". Also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, a 2011 scouting profile by Jamie Sanderson of The Independent described Shaqiri in the following words: "Diminutive, agile and pacy across the turf, Shaqiri boasts excellent technique and balance. He's left footed, but comfortable and equally effective on either wing or as a classic play-maker, boasting good vision and almost zero back lift in his passing and shooting." He also added that Shaqiri's "tricks," "direct running style," and "composure," made him "a player who's dangerous in almost any attacking area." However, while he acknowledged the young winger's promising talent and potential to become a top player, he also noted that he had a poor work rate and lacked maturity.

Shaqiri was born in Zhegër, Gjilan, SFR Yugoslavia, to Kosovar Albanian parents. He emigrated to Switzerland in 1992 with his parents and three siblings. His brother, Arianit Shaqiri, is a youth football coach. They settled in Augst, a small town in the canton of Basel-Country, near the French and German borders. His father did not speak Swiss German, so he had to start out washing dishes in a restaurant, before working construction on roads. His mother worked as a cleaner in office buildings in the city, with which he and his brothers helped. His father would send as much money back to Kosovo to other family members as he could, meaning Xherdan and the family did not have extra spending money, except for birthdays. He idolised Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who he said played "like magic".