Stoke Metropolis and Xherdan Shaqiri was a curious match when the Swiss swapped Inter Milan for the Potteries in 2015, however for 3 seasons, he operated because the membership’s talisman, including some fashion to the metal that boss Mark Hughes and his predecessor Tony Pulis had put in on the membership.
However even Shaqiri’s particular person brilliance was unable to stop the Potters from dropping right down to the Championship on the finish of the 2017/18 season as their ten-year Premier League keep got here to an finish.
The Swiss was rapidly handed the chance to stay within the English prime flight nevertheless, as Liverpool triggered his £13.5million clause and he headed to Anfield to work below supervisor Jurgen Klopp.
Shaqiri on his ‘wonderful’ Liverpool feeling
Liverpool signed Shaqiri in a £13.5million deal from Stoke Metropolis
“It was an enormous alternative,” Shaqiri tells FourFourTwo when requested how the transfer happened. “I needed to play on the highest degree.
After we bought relegated at Stoke , I had a clause in my contract that meant I may go for a similar value I got here for, so I went to Liverpool for a low value. Going to Liverpool meant quite a bit. Everybody is aware of how huge they’re.
Shaqiri turned out 63 occasions for Liverpool, scoring eight occasions
“They’ve at all times been one of many largest golf equipment on the earth, and the followers are wonderful. We gained a number of issues there with Jurgen Klopp.”
Shaqiri would win the Premier League, Champions League and FIFA Membership World Cup throughout his time with Liverpool, including to his listing of medals that included three Swiss titles and two Swiss Cups with Basel, plus three Bundesliga titles, two German Cups, one other Champions League and one other Membership World Cup throughout his time at Bayern Munich.
The 125-time Swiss worldwide additionally had loads of particular person excessive factors throughout his time on Merseyside, not least the brace he scored in a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Anfield in December 2018.
“It felt wonderful to attain in a derby like that,” Shaqiri recollects. “Scoring towards Everton was additionally particular. For those who rating in these video games, the individuals love you and also you’re a legend already!
Shaqiri alongside his former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp
“I liked scoring in entrance of the Kop. Liverpool’s followers are an enormous household and so they assist the membership like loopy. I liked how passionate they had been and the way sturdy the staff was in entrance of the followers.”
Shaqiri would finish his three-year Liverpool stint with eight objectives in 63 appearances earlier than transferring to French facet Lyon in August 2021 in a €6million transfer.
After struggling for taking part in time on the Ligue 1 facet, Shaqiri moved stateside as he joined MLS facet Chicago Hearth as a Designated Participant, however he would once more fail to hit the heights of his earlier profession, leaving by mutual consent in August 2024.
Now 33, Shaqiri is again the place all of it started at Basel and has the staff well-placed on the prime of the desk forward of the run-in as they give the impression of being to win their first title since 2017.
