After days of speculation on social media, decorated Swiss midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri was at last announced as Chicago Fire FC's newest Designated Player ahead of the Club's 2022 campaign.
Shaqiri, 30, brings to Chicago more than a decade's worth of playing experience at the sport's highest levels, and figures to provide a uniquely dangerous presence in head coach Ezra Hendrickson's attack.
Having accomplished so much in his career to-date and with a new challenge in Major League Soccer now ahead, get familiar with Shaqiri's various achievements and accolades in the fast facts and numbers below:
421
Since signing his first professional contract with FC Basel in 2009, Shaqiri has appeared in 421 matches across all competitions at the club level. His resume is a who’s who list of European superpowers, having moved on from FC Basel in 2012 to FC Bayern Munich, then subsequently to Inter Milan, Stoke City, Liverpool, and Lyon before being acquired by the Fire.
100
Shaqiri hit the century mark in appearances for the Switzerland Men’s National Team on Nov. 15, 2021 in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Bulgaria. Shaqiri captained the side on the day and picked up the first and last assist in a 4-0 Switzerland win at the Swissporarena.
His 100 appearances currently ranks fifth all-time in the country’s history, and is the most of any of the country’s active players. Shaqiri has represented Switzerland at three-straight FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018) and back-to-back UEFA European Championships (2016, 2020). Most recently, he scored three goals and added one assist in last summer’s UEFA Euro 2020, where Switzerland were defeated by Spain in penalty kicks in the tournament’s quarterfinal round.
Switzerland have already punched their ticket to the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, having gone undefeated (5-3-0) in UEFA qualifying Group C, which wrapped with the aforementioned win over Bulgaria last November.
205
In his 521 appearances as a professional, Shaqiri has consistently been as lethal a scorer as he has been a distributor. His 205 combined career goals and assists break down almost exactly even, whether suiting up at the club or international level. In club play, he’s scored 75 goals and assisted 76 times. For Switzerland, it’s 26 goals and 28 assists.
18
In his 11 years as a professional, Shaqiri has stocked his trophy cabinet with 18 trophies accumulated to-date. Here’s how it breaks down by competition, club, and season:
- 2x UEFA Champions League - Bayern Munich (2013), Liverpool (2019)
- 2x FIFA Club World Cup - Bayern Munich (2013), Liverpool (2019)
- 2x UEFA Super Cup - Bayern Munich (2014), Liverpool (2019)
- English Premier League - Liverpool (2020)
- 3x German Bundesliga - Bayern Munich (2013, 2014, 2015)
- 2x German Cup - Bayern Munich (2013, 2014)
- German Super Cup - Bayern Munich (2012)
- 3x Swiss Super League - FC Basel (2010, 2011, 2012)
- 2x Swiss Cup - FC Basel (2010, 2012)
Shaqiri is the only player currently playing in MLS with a UEFA Champions League title to his name, let alone two.
5
As the Fire celebrate the silver anniversary of the Club’s famous inaugural season this year, Shaqiri having “done the double” on five occasions himself is worthy of note. The 30-year-old has captured multiple titles in the same season five times, much like the Fire did with their MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup wins in 1998.
Shaqiri won both the Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup titles in 2010 and 2012 with FC Basel, before going on to victory in the Bundesliga and German Cup with Bayern Munich in 2013 and 2014. 2013 saw Bayern also claim the UEFA Champions League Crown and the German Super Cup.
In 2019-20 while with Liverpool, Shaqiri won the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and ultimately the English Premier League title.
1
His 205 goals + assists and 18 trophies earned across 521 career matches have eared Shaqiri one fantastic nickname: The Alpine Messi. Due to their shared heights (5’7), dominant foot (left), and danger going forward into attack, Shaqiri is often referred to with a localized moniker that proclaims him the Swiss version of Argentine legend Lionel Messi.
