When Xherdan Shaqiri recently terminated his contract with Chicago, the 32-year-old said he was courted by several clubs. But Shaqiri only wants FCB - and forgoes wages to return.
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- Xherdan Shaqiri is back at FCB and spoke publicly about his transfer for the first time at a media conference on Tuesday.
- As the 32-year-old reveals, there were other interested parties in addition to FCB who have made significantly more attractive offers from a financial point of view.
- However, Shaqiri is happy to accept a loss of salary for FCB and says: "It's not just about the financial aspect, but about the heart."
Six months earlier than planned, Xherdan Shaqiri is terminating his contract with Chicago Fire and has therefore been on the transfer market on a free transfer for around a week. This immediately attracts interested parties for the 125-time Swiss international.
"I had several offers from different countries. Especially when it came out that I had terminated my contract and was on a free transfer, a lot of people got in touch," said Shaqiri at a media conference on Tuesday. But the interest is one-sided. "I blocked everything because I was relatively far along with FC Basel - and I only wanted FC Basel," said the returnee.
"It's about the heart"
Shaqiri also makes no secret of the fact that he had much more attractive financial offers on the table. "In England, they pay a lot more in terms of salary. Now also in the Championship (second-highest division, ed.). You can well imagine that I would definitely have earned a lot more."
But that's not the point for the magic dwarf. "I knew from the start that we would come to an agreement. It's not just about the finances, but about the heart. From that point of view, I was very relaxed and knew that it wouldn't be a problem," says Shaqiri. Head of sport Daniel Stucki confirms: "The talks were very positive right from the start. There was a lot of openness. When we saw roughly what they had in mind in the initial talks, we knew that we could have a say."
How much Shaqiri earns in Basel remains a secret, however. Even if it was different in the USA, where salary transparency prevails. "Unfortunately, it's different in Switzerland than in America," says Shaqiri with a grin. "In America, everything is public. So it's more difficult here to know when, how, what and where. And I think that's a good thing."
