Found an error?
Report now
Dominik Schmid after the team failed to qualify for the Champions League in August 2025.
Keystone
Dominik Schmid has left FC Basel for Salzburg. In an interview, he discusses his reasons for leaving and reveals that he could well imagine ending his career in Basel one day.
Not even all teams have played their first match at the World Cup yet, and many clubs are already preparing for the new season. This includes RB Salzburg with new signing Dominik Schmid. The 28-year-old left FC Basel this summer. In an interview with the “BaZ,” Schmid explained his reasons: “Nothing was on the table from FCB—neither a contract extension nor any other indication that would have made me want to stay in Basel.”
His contract would have run through 2027. That also meant he could have left the club on a free transfer in a year. “It’s only natural to explore your options in that situation.” Schmid says he didn’t get the sense from FCB officials that they wanted to move forward with him. “On the contrary, they immediately signaled a willingness to negotiate my transfer with other clubs.”
He is now looking forward to the opportunity to play in Salzburg. “At the same time, I want to make it clear that this move is extremely painful for me personally. Saying goodbye to Basel was difficult for me; I slept poorly for weeks. But in the end, simply too many things at FCB were no longer working out.”
Exactly what no longer suited him remains unspoken. “I don’t want to air my club’s dirty laundry,” says Schmid. Anyone reading between the lines in the interview can’t help but get the impression that Schmid wasn’t on the same page with either FCB boss David Degen or coach Stephan Lichtsteiner.
In the interview, he also makes it clear that he doesn’t think much of the term “career planning.” “Planning a career has become practically impossible in soccer. It’s so fast-paced; there are so many things a player can’t influence.” However, he can certainly imagine “returning to FC Basel for good one day.”
Now he’s looking forward to making an impact with Salzburg. “My move isn’t that illogical. Unlike FCB, Salzburg is now competing in Europe; we’re aiming for the group stage of the Europa League.”
