Xherdan Shaqiri on still watching Liverpool, World Cup hopes and life in America

“Not everyone can say that they have played in four World Cups,” smiles Xherdan Shaqiri.

“It’s always special. Playing it in the winter is something new, playing in Qatar is something new. This is the biggest event in football. Underdogs always cause surprises and I hope we’re one of them. That’s our dream.”

Well rested after his club commitments with Chicago Fire of MLS ended in early October, the former Liverpool attacker is primed and ready to deliver for Switzerland on the big stage once again.

He is set to win his 110th cap for Murat Yakin’s side in their Group G opener with Cameroon tomorrow (Thursday) as he closes in on Heinz Hermann’s national record of 118, which has stood for more than 30 years.

Shaqiri was just 18 when he made a fleeting appearance at the 2010 World Cup. Four years later, he became the first Swiss international to score a World Cup hat-trick since Josef Hugi in 1954 as he lit up a group-stage victory over Honduras. According to Opta, he’s the only player to net a World Cup hat-trick entirely with his left foot since 1966.

Four years ago, he also inspired their passage to the knockout stages as he scored a dramatic late winner against Serbia.

His goal celebration, alongside team-mate Granit Xhaka — their hand gestures depicting the double-headed eagle symbol on the Albanian flag — infuriated the Serbians and led to FIFA fining each of them 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,848, $10,435) for ‘unsporting behaviour’.

Shaqiri had played with the Swiss flag on one boot and the flag of Kosovo on the other. Born in Kosovo (which far-larger neighbour Serbia doesn’t recognise as an independent state) to Kosovar-Albanian parents, his family fled the conflict in the former Yugoslavia when they moved to Switzerland as refugees in 1992.

Switzerland and Serbia find themselves in the same group once again at this World Cup but that topic was off-limits during a discussion over Zoom with reporters. So too the controversies around holding the tournament in Qatar.

“Look, we are Switzerland, we stand for human rights,” Shaqiri says firmly. “Political questions, I don’t want to answer because I’m focused on performing. Everyone wants to perform and make their nation proud.”

Shaqiri, who has scored 26 international goals, was more keen to talk about the prospect of facing Brazil again next Monday. At the previous World Cup in Russia, the nations drew 1-1 in the group stage. This time, he will be reunited with former Liverpool team-mates Alisson and Fabinho.

“I always had good relations with those guys and I’ll be happy to see them again,” he says.

“We know the quality of Brazil. They are one of the big favourites to win the World Cup. Their people have been waiting a long time for this (Brazil’s most recent World Cup triumph was 20 years ago). But the smaller teams are getting better and Brazil will have more pressure than us. We’ll try to make it as difficult as possible for them.

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“My story with Brazil is a nice one. When I was young, Ronaldo Nazario was always my big idol. And Brazil 2014 was the best World Cup for me so far. I enjoyed it so much. I scored my hat-trick there.

“It was one of the best moments in my career. It was very hot in Manaus but it was an amazing day that I’ll never forget. I still have the ball from 2014 at home. A great memory.”

Xherdan Shaqiri with his hat-trick match ball (Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

It’s been an eventful 15 months for Shaqiri since he left Liverpool to join Lyon in the French top flight for £9.5million ($11.2m now) in August 2021. He had scored eight goals in 63 appearances during three injury-affected but trophy-laden seasons at Anfield where supporters took him to their hearts.

His stay in France proved brief as he struggled for regular game time and in February he moved to Chicago Fire for a club record fee of £5.9million ($7m).

“I had a very beautiful three years at Liverpool. We won many titles — we won the Champions League, we won the Club World Cup, we won the Premier League,” he says.

“It was a wonderful time. Liverpool will always stay in my heart. I’ll always cherish those memories. I will always follow them. The fans supported me a lot. They were so warm and I had a good relationship with the club.

“I still have my house in Manchester and when I go back there I always try to watch some games. I just decided that it was the right time for me to go to take on a new challenge.”

Jurgen Klopp’s side went into this mid-season break sixth in the Premier League table. They have been dogged by glaring inconsistency — already losing twice as many league games this season as in the whole of the last one — but Shaqiri is convinced his former club will kick on when the club campaign resumes late next month after the World Cup.

“I’m always watching the Premier League and especially the Liverpool games,” he says.

“It was a difficult start for them but I’m sure they will come back strong. They have the quality. This is football sometimes. For me it’s normal. You can’t always be at the top and in the best shape like they have been in recent years.

“Now maybe the other teams know more about how to play against Liverpool. But I’m sure Liverpool will come out of this. There are still so many games to play. They will push and I’m sure they will play in the Champions League again next season. I know how important that is for the club.”

Shaqiri scored seven goals and provided six assists in 29 appearances during his first season in Major League Soccer, but Ezra Hendrickson’s side finished a lowly 12th in the 14-team Eastern Conference.

By the time Los Angeles FC lifted the MLS Cup earlier this month following the title play-offs, the 31-year-old was already back home in Switzerland, visiting family and training at the Fire’s sister club FC Lugano to ensure he was in the best possible shape to lead the charge in Qatar.

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“I arrived in Chicago with a lot of ambition and I gave everything,” admits Shaqiri, who is committed to the Fire until the end of the 2024 season. “I wanted to go to the play-offs but we didn’t achieve the goal that we wanted.”

“We need to get better. I’m sure we’ll do it next season. For me, it was important to make the move and I’m very happy in America. It was a long season for me but then it was good to relax a bit and then get as fit as possible for the World Cup.”

The Fire’s eight-goal top scorer last season was exciting Colombian teenager Jhon Duran, who has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs. Shaqiri rates him highly.

“Still so young and needs to learn a lot of things but a very good player,” he says. “He has the qualities to one day play at a good club in Europe. When? He needs playing time. That’s important for a young player to get better. If you go to Europe and don’t play so much, it can be difficult.

“We know in Europe it’s another level. There are issues you have to deal with. He’s a talent. I hope one day he’ll make that step and show himself in Europe.”

One man who could head in the opposite direction across the Atlantic is Lionel Messi. His contract at Paris Saint-Germain runs out at the end of this season and Inter Miami are among his suitors. Signing arguably football’s best ever player, even though he’ll turn 36 next June, would be a massive coup.

“You can see that MLS is growing more and more. The league is getting better with these kind of players,” adds Shaqiri.

“Teams are investing in younger players. Before it was more old players, going for their holidays. It has changed. Now you have good players coming in their prime to achieve something. It’s a good step for the league and for the country. It makes it a more interesting competition for everyone.”

Qatar is set to be the final World Cup for both Messi and 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, the two finest players of their generation. Shaqiri’s nimble feet have always served him well on the field and he neatly side-stepped the debate about who’s the greatest.

“This is always a good question for everybody,” he says.

“These two guys, what they have done for football over the past 20 years, is unbelievable. I don’t know if someone will come again like them. It’s something extraordinary.

“They are big idols for a lot of young players. For me, they are both up there with (Diego) Maradona and Pele. They are the same level as them.

“This is my fourth World Cup and I can’t wait to get started. Brazil and France are big favourites, while Germany is a tournament team and Spain also. So many good teams.

“Our group is very tough. We need three good performances to try to go to the next round. That’s our first goal. Then we’ll see what happens.”

Read more: Brazil defeated Switzerland 1-0 on Monday in World Cup Group G action, qualifying for the Round of 16.

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(Top photo: Jordan Jones/Getty Images)