Once again this summer, various Swiss footballers are available on a free transfer, including some former internationals.
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- Various Swiss footballers are currently without a contract, including several former national team players.
- No transfer fee has to be paid for these players. However, most of them have their best days behind them.
Goal
Market value: 100,000 euros
Eldin Jakupovic
Almost 16 years ago, on August 20, 2008, Eldin Jakupovic played his only international match for Switzerland. It is one of many episodes in the now 39-year-old goalkeeper's long career. He made his way from GC via Russia and Greece to England, where he spent the majority of his career from 2012 to 2023. His last career stop was LA Galaxy, and Jakupovic has been without a contract since the start of 2024. However, the goalkeeper has not yet officially announced his retirement.
Defense
Market value: 600,000 euros
Cédric Brunner
In 2018, Brunner moved from FC Zurich to Arminia Bielefeld in the second Bundesliga. He became a regular there and was promoted to the first Bundesliga with Arminia. A move to Schalke 04 followed in 2022, but Brunner was immediately relegated with Königsblau but remained at the club. The full-back's contract expired this summer and Schalke did not want to extend the 30-year-old Brunner's contract.
Market value: 350,000 euros
Leo Lacroix
He has also played one international match for Switzerland. The now 32-year-old played for Saint-Etienne in France and HSV in Germany, among others. However, the central defender increasingly disappeared from the football map, playing in Australia from 2021 to 2023 and the last year with Craiova in Romania, where he was relegated with his team. He has been without a club ever since.
Market value: 100,000 euros
Michael Lang
FC Basel terminated Michael Lang's contract at the end of July - not without a few murmurs. After all, the right-back played 221 games for FC Basel. Lang made 26 appearances in the Bundesliga for Gladbach and Bremen, played 14 times in the Champions League and has 31 international caps. At the age of 33, he would certainly still have a good year or two left in the tank.
More on Lang's departure from Basel
Market value: 50,000 euros
François Moubandje
In the national team, the left-back was Ricardo Rodriguez's backup for years and made 21 international appearances. François Moubandje spent the best time of his career in Ligue 1, where he played 147 league games for FC Toulouse. Most recently, the 34-year-old was under contract with Sion, but was rarely used due to various injuries.
Midfield
Market value: 100,000 euros
Francisco Rodriguez
Brother Ricardo was also without a club in the summer, but was recently able to fulfill a dream by signing for Betis Sevilla in La Liga. Francisco has never moved into these spheres. He was most recently released by FC Winterthur - his last game was in May 2023. At 28, he is still a good footballing age.
Market value: 100,000 euros
Marvin Spielmann
Just five years ago, Marvin Spielmann was a hot commodity in the Super League. The midfielder performed so well at Thun that his big brother from Bern came knocking and signed Spielmann. He shot YB to Cup victory in 2020, but Spielmann was unable to make a lasting impression. He moved via Lausanne and Xamax to Baden, where the 28-year-old's contract expired in the summer.
Market value: 100,000 euros
Samuele Campo
The attacking midfielder had his best time at his youth club FC Basel. In 84 games for FCB, he scored 44 goals. In 2021, Campo first went to Darmstadt on loan and then to FC Luzern on a free transfer. After a solid start in central Switzerland, Campo was soon no longer wanted, but wanted to sit out his contract. As a result, Campo has not played a competitive match since January 2023. He is still only 29 years old, but will he find a club again?
Attack
Market value: 700,000 euros
Josip Drmic
35 caps, 10 goals - that's Josip Drmic's record. The striker left FC Zurich in 2013 and had a fine Bundesliga career with Nuremberg, Leverkusen, Gladbach and HSV. He went on to Norwich City in England and from there to Croatia. Most recently, the now 32-year-old Drmic played for serial champions Dinamo Zagreb.
Market value: 250,000 euros
Dimitri Oberlin
He also belongs to the 1 international club. Oberlin played 17 minutes in a test match against Greece in 2018. He experienced the greatest moment of his career with FC Basel in the Champions League. Oberlin scored twice and provided an assist in the 5:0 win against Benfica in the fall of 2017. However, the striker's career stalled after that. Oberlin changed clubs every year, most recently signing for Adanaspor in the Turkish second division. His meagre tally: 26 games, 3 goals.
Market value: 2 million euros
Xherdan Shaqiri
Two-time Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and Liverpool, three-time German champion, one-time English champion, three-time Swiss champion with FC Basel. Plus 125 games for the national team. Xherdan Shaqiri's career has been characterized by success so far. In February 2022, he signed a mega contract with Chicaco Fire, making him one of the top earners in the MLS. This contract, which would have run until the end of the year, has now been terminated.
Shaqiri turns 33 in October and is entering the home stretch of his unique career, having retired from the national team after the European Championship. Will he come full circle with a return to Switzerland? Or will the Rubik's Cube sign another lucrative contract abroad?
