At Chicago Fire, the expectations of Xherdan Shaqiri were immense – but he was never able to fulfill them. Now his adventure in the MLS has ended prematurely.
Every transfer in football is associated with a certain degree of uncertainty. You never know exactly what to expect. Will it be a stroke of luck? One that will immediately win the hearts of all fans and add great value to the team? Or a flop that will not meet high expectations?
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In the case of Xherdan Shaqiri, they are more likely to say the latter at Chicago Fire. The Major League Soccer (MLS) club had high hopes in February 2022 when the Swiss was glamorously introduced. The simple plan: to build on past successes with the help of the offensive player. After all, the last and only notable title came in 1998, when Chicago won the MLS Cup.
“I am at the peak of my abilities and want to help bring the glory days back to Chicago,” Shaqiri said at his presentation, adding: “I want to help my teammates with my experience and instill a winning mentality in them.”
But the big words were rarely followed by actions. The result two and a half years later is this: the team has not reached the MLS playoffs once. Now they have agreed to end their collaboration.
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Shaqiri was one of the MLS top earners
The club and Shaqiri announced that they had mutually terminated the contract, which would have expired at the end of the year anyway.
“I believe this is the right time for me to explore new opportunities in my career,” the 32-year-old was quoted as saying in a statement from the Fire on Wednesday. “I would like to thank the club and the fans for their support during my time in Chicago. I wish Fire nothing but success in the future.”
For Shaqiri, who scored 16 goals and assisted 13 more in 75 matches, the trip to the USA was nevertheless a successful one – at least in terms of financial aspects. On the officially published payroll, he was ranked fourth with an annual salary of 8.2 million dollars (equivalent to around 7.7 million euros), only Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Lorenzo Insigne were ahead of him.
On the other hand, it was a costly pleasure for Chicago. In addition to the high salary, they also paid a transfer fee of seven million euros to Olympique Lyon for Shaqiri in the winter of 2022.
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In other words: The club invested over 20 million euros in him for almost two years. This resulted in just 20 wins, with Shaqiri often missing due to injury or playing for the Swiss national team.
Shaqiri returns to FC Basel
Now it is clear what will happen next for the veteran. Shaqiri had no shortage of offers. Sky reported that Besiktas, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens as well as clubs from Saudi Arabia have inquired about the 125-time national player. The “power cube” has decided to return to his former club FC Basel.
“It fills me with pride and I am very happy that I can return to my hometown of FCB today. I have had a deep connection with the club and the region since I was a child. As a fan and of course as a player,” said Shaqiri, who ended his career in the national team after 125 games following the European Championship in Germany. He wants to “attack again with FCB.”
Shaqiri’s professional career began in Basel before he travelled all over the football world. He played for FC Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Stoke City, FC Liverpool and Olympique Lyon before finally ending up in Chicago. He has now made 602 professional appearances and won 18 titles, including the Champions League twice.
