Former Liverpool player Xherdan Shaqiri has been making waves in the Swiss Super League, recently celebrating a championship win with his childhood club Basel.
The ex-Reds winger netted a nine-minute hat-trick in Basel’s 5-2 victory over Lugano, securing their first title since 2017 and marking a triumphant return to the top of Swiss football. Shaqiri was instrumental in Basel’s title-winning campaign, with only Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres and Shaqiri’s former Anfield colleague Mohamed Salah contributing more league goals this season.
Despite periods when Salah has struggled for service, Shaqiri’s impressive tally of 20 goals and 21 assists outstripped the combined efforts of Diogo Jota (nine goals, four assists) and Luis Diaz (17 goals, eight assists).
Shaqiri departed Merseyside in 2021 boasting an impressive collection of silverware including Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles. He was a valuable asset for Jurgen Klopp, often delivering crucial performances from the bench.
However, his career post-Liverpool had been less than stellar until his return to Switzerland, following underwhelming stints at Lyon and Chicago Fire before joining Basel on a free transfer.
His 2025 triumph marks the eighth league title of Shaqiri’s career, having previously clinched the Swiss Super League three times with Basel, the Bundesliga thrice with Bayern Munich and a single league title with Liverpool. His trophy cabinet now boasts 18 major honors.
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The resurgence of Basel to Swiss football’s pinnacle has been overwhelmingly credited to Xherdan Shaqiri’s impact.
“The euphoria he’s sparked, and how he’s withstanding the pressure and even exceeding expectations, deserves the utmost respect,” hailed former Basel mate Marco Streller while speaking to Blick.
“Shaq is one of those figures from the region with whom people can immediately identify. Without wanting to diminish the merits of the others, what’s happening right now obviously has a lot to do with Xherdan.”
Meanwhile, Servette boss Thomas Haberli lamented over Shaqiri’s pivotal role in derailing other teams, stating that he “decided practically every game” en route to their impressive title run.
While it’s dubious that Shaqiri could impose his will on matches in England as he has done back home, at Liverpool, he proved to be a dependable asset before his modest £10 million ($13.3 million) departure four years ago.
His triumph abroad might prove educative to Michael Edwards and the Anfield executives. As the rumour mill suggests potential exits for the likes of Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, Kostas Tsimikas, and Joe Gomez, Shaqiri’s scenario stands as a testament – selling assets can fund Arne Slot’s transfer kitty, but the newer model isn’t always an upgrade.
