Granit Xhaka is a record-breaking international and one of the world's best midfielders. In an interview, the 32-year-old reveals that he cannot rule out retiring from the national team next year.
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- Granit Xhaka is now Switzerland's record player with 135 caps. How many more appearances will he make? Xhaka seems to be asking himself that right now.
- In an interview, the national team captain says that the upcoming World Cup qualifiers "could perhaps be my last".
- It is "not an easy phase for Swiss football", says Xhaka, who also asks himself: "Does Switzerland have the potential to experience the same thing as we have in the last ten years?"
Granit Xhaka made his debut for the Swiss national team as an 18-year-old under Ottmar Hitzfeld in 2011. The midfielder has now made 135 appearances for the national team, making him Switzerland's record player. He is the undisputed leader, the captain, the most important man in Murat Yakin's game.
However, Xhaka's latest statements have raised eyebrows. He is apparently toying with the idea of retiring from the national team in 18 months' time. The upcoming World Cup qualifiers could "perhaps be my last", says Xhaka in an interview with "Blick".
He continued: "Not just for me, maybe for a few others in the team too. We're not getting any younger. Not me, not Rici (Rodriquez) and Remo (Freuler), not four or five other players either." After the next World Cup, Xhaka, Rodriguez and Freuler will be 34 years old. There could be a huge upheaval in 2026, predicts the Leverkusen professional.
"To avoid any misunderstandings: I'm not one percent concerned with a possible retirement from the national team at the moment," Xhaka clarifies. "Very, very far in the back of my mind is simply the scenario that the next World Cup could be my last tournament."
Concerns about the future of the national team
Accordingly, he and his colleagues will do everything they can to reach the finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada. "I really want to be at the 2026 World Cup," says Xhaka, who also knows that a different wind will have to blow than in the Nations League. With just two points from six games, the national team has been relegated to League B.
The last few games have felt more like friendlies, says the Basel player. That has to change now. Some of the Nati players need to take the next step after Yann Sommer, Fabian Schär and Xherdan Shaqiri, three important pillars of the team, have been lost.
"Will we be able to replace them in the future? A huge question mark," says Xhaka. He seems to be a little worried about the future of the national team. "Does Switzerland have the potential to experience the same thing as we have in the last ten years? That's where I put the next question mark."
The national team captain speaks plainly: "I'm missing that certain something at the moment. We have some talented players who went abroad early on. Do they play regularly? Yes and no. Sometimes I don't see the insatiable hunger in all of them to subordinate everything to their career every day."
Xhaka would have preferred not to play against Kosovo
It is not an easy phase for Swiss football. A successful World Cup campaign now seems all the more important. The qualifiers will be no walk in the park, with Sweden, Slovenia - and Kosovo - as the opponents. Xhaka says that he would have preferred to avoid three opponents: Serbia, Albania and Kosovo, where his family comes from. "And what happens? Kosovo! I really didn't wish for it."
However, he now wants to accept the situation as it is. After all, he is now at an age where he can cope with unusual situations. "I'm professional enough to give it my all for 90 minutes," says Xhaka.
He now has a better grip on his emotions than he did when he was younger. Sport and his commitment to the national team are above all else. Xhaka: "I chose Switzerland once and I don't regret my decision for a second. I wear this shirt with a lot of pride, otherwise I wouldn't have played 135 international matches."
