Xherdan Shaqiri played for the Swiss national team from March 2010 to July 2024 and left his mark on the team with many exceptional performances. A selection of Shaqiri moments:
15.07.2024, 17:02
15.07.2024, 17:04
SDA
The first international match
March 3, 2010: In the first test match for the 2010 World Cup against Uruguay (1-3), Xherdan Shaqiri plays his first 45 minutes in the national jersey after the break. "Shaqiri is a great talent who could be an asset for us," said national team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld after the match in St. Gallen. Shaqiri also makes it into the World Cup squad for the tournament in South Africa, but only plays 12 minutes.
The first goal
September 7, 2010: In the unsuccessful qualifiers for the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine, Shaqiri scores the first of 32 international goals in a 3-1 defeat against England in Basel. Hitzfeld has special praise for the 18-year-old: "He has clearly imposed himself."
The first gala
September 6, 2011: Once again, St. Jakob-Park is the home arena as Shaqiri becomes a definite hope one year after his first goal for Switzerland. The teenager from FC Basel scored three goals to lead Switzerland to a 3-1 home win against Bulgaria. His third goal in the 90th minute was brilliant: after a corner, Shaqiri got to the ball and scored from around 20 meters.
Hat-trick in the jungle
June 25, 2014: In the Brazilian jungle in Manaus, Shaqiri scored his first three of a total of ten goals at a final tournament. Five days after the 5-2 defeat to France in the second preliminary round match of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he fired Switzerland into the round of 16 with his hat-trick to make it 3-0 against Honduras. There, the era of national coach Ottmar Hitzfeld ended with a bitter 1-0 defeat against Argentina.
Side kick against Poland
June 25, 2016: It is probably the most spectacular goal of all the beautiful ones he has scored. In the European Championship round of 16 against Poland in Saint-Etienne, Shaqiri scored in the 82nd minute with a fantastic side-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area to make it 1-1 and save Switzerland in extra time. He also scored in the penalty shoot-out, but it was not enough to progress.
Solo against Serbia
22 June 2018: There were only a few seconds left to play in the second preliminary round match of the World Cup in Russia against Serbia when Shaqiri was launched towards the opposing goal with two deep passes. He withstood the onrushing defender and scored to make it 2:1 - a goal that was all the better for the number 23 with Kosovan roots as it was scored against Serbia. The double eagle then became a big topic.
The contribution to the high flight
July 2, 2021: Shaqiri had his best final round at the pan-European Championship and played a major part in Switzerland's run to the top with two goals in the final group game against Turkey (3-1) and the 1-1 draw against Spain in the quarter-final in St. Petersburg, which only ended in a penalty shoot-out against the Spaniards.
The fifth World Cup goal
December 2, 2022: After Shaqiri did not play in the second group match of the World Cup in Qatar against Brazil under national coach Murat Yakin, he delivered against Serbia at the end of the preliminary round. He scored the 1:0 after 20 minutes in the 3:2 victory.
The last spells
June 19, 2024: Shaqiri plays just over 70 minutes at the European Championship in Germany. However, he proves once again what an exceptional footballer he is in this short time. In the second preliminary round match against Scotland (1:1), he scored after just under half an hour with a wonderful shot into the top left corner of the goal to make it 1:1. Two and a half weeks later, in the lost quarter-final against England, he was a few centimetres short of another stroke of genius when his direct corner ricocheted off the edge of the goal. Although he scored, Switzerland were eliminated in the penalty shoot-out. Shaqiri's national team career ends with 125 caps and 32 goals.
