Scotland flick as the last magic trick: After 14 years, Xherdan Shaqiri the end of his wonderful career Nati.
Xherdan Shaqiri is ending his career in the Swiss national team after 14 years. The bitter event in the quarter-final of the European Championship against England was the 32-year-old’s last game for the national team. In total, Shaqiri has 125 appearances, only Granit Xhaka (130) has more. He scored 32 goals. He scored 10 times at the World and European Championships – an even distribution.
Ar X The Basel man thanked him for “unforgettable moments” and “great memories”. He made his debut under Ottmar Hitzfeld in March 2010. In total, “XS” took part in 7 major tournaments, where, in addition to many shows, he also achieved a special series: From the World Cup 2014, where he scored a hat trick against Honduras, at least he has a score. one goal at each World and European Championship. This is also the case in Germany, despite a complicated season with Chicago in the emotional baggage and an unclear future at club level.
Also engraved as a joker
At EURO 2024, Shaqiri was sacked after many years as one of the mainstays. A role he took without complaint. And when he was given the chance, he took it. Like his dream goal to make it 1-1 in the second group game against Scotland, for example, when he brilliantly smashed the ball into the crossbar with his first touch. Or when he almost decided the quarter-final against England with a corner that was directly converted.
They were scenes that all his teammates acknowledged with the same words: “Typical Shaq!” No other player of this Nati generation embodied such carelessness, exuded such joy in playing, had such a guarantee of glasses. His first goal in the red jersey gave him a foretaste. At the age of 18, he gifted England goalkeeper Joe Hart with a dream goal of 25 meters in the European Championship qualifiers.
A man for the big games – and goals
His onside kick against Poland will also remain unforgettable. He saved the national team in extra time in the round of 16 of the 2016 European Championship shortly before the end of the match (although again he failed to achieve the happy ending in the penalty) and found a place in every highlight clip of the tournament. At the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, he scored in both heated duels with Serbia.
First the boulevard turned the 1.69m tall Shaqiri into a “magic trout” and then, as his muscle mass increased, into a “power cube”. And between the “Mesi Alpine”. Anyone who attended Nati’s game was quick to notice how tense the views of the Swiss jersey with the number 23 were in the stands. Every fan of the national team could quickly name Shaqiri’s special sight.
The big games are made for me.
Although one or two club changes were viewed with suspicion, he was sometimes accused of a lack of fitness and heavily criticized as part of the “double eagle ritual” at the 2018 World Cup – Switzerland could always count on Shaqiri the park. Because as he rightly said after the Scotland game a few weeks ago: “The big games are made for me.” And the big show anyway.