The Swiss forward has terminated his contract with the Major League Soccer club.
Where will his path lead? Xherdan Shaqiri will no longer play for Chicago.
cov. Xherdan Shaqiri is about to start a new chapter in his career. The 32-year-old from Basel has terminated his contract in the USA with the Chicago Fire. The club announced this on its website on Wednesday. “After discussions with Xherdan, we have agreed that parting ways is in the best interest of all parties involved,” is quoted the Swiss sporting director of the MLS club, Georg Heitz. Heitz himself recently announced his retirement at the end of the season next fall.
Unhappy in Chicago
Shaqiri played in Chicago since 2022, scoring 16 goals in 75 appearances. His contract would have expired at the end of this season. Shaqiri had recently expressed his dissatisfaction. In 2022 and 2023, the club missed the playoffs. Chicago is struggling again this season.
Prior to that, Shaqiri was under contract in Lyon, Liverpool, Stoke City, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and his youth club FC Basel. In Munich and Liverpool, he won a Champions League title each. With his clubs, the forward became English, German, and Swiss champion.
Technically gifted
Short, stocky, but technically gifted, Shaqiri is considered one of the most spectacular Swiss footballers. In the national team, he announced his retirement after 125 appearances and 7 tournament participations after the Euro 2024. Many of his 32 goals in the red-and-white jersey are memorable.
Where Shaqiri wants to relaunch his career remains unclear. FC Basel has repeatedly brought back former talents like Marco Streller, Benjamin Huggel, Valentin Stocker, or Alex Frei and became a force in Swiss football partly for this reason. Meanwhile, the club now stands diminished. The fact that the former serial champion maker Heitz and Shaqiri both announce their departure from Chicago almost simultaneously will likely let some FCB fans dream.