Xherdan Shaqiri is set to leave Chicago. Which club offers him the most money?

Swiss football player Xherdan Shaqiri recently shared a photo on his Instagram channel of him spending an afternoon in his room in a residential building in downtown Chicago, with the best view of Lake Michigan. It shows Shaq taking a nap. Naps replace training, living quarters replace gyms.

Only in retrospect did the deeper meaning of this unusual post become clear: Shaqiri was showing himself waiting until his brother and manager Eldin Shaqiri finally reached an agreement with his employers, the Chicago Fire, on an early termination of his contract.

On Thursday night, the MLS club announced they had parted ways amicably. “Thank you, Shaq!” read in large letters above a brief message from the club. The good thing about this kind of message is that it doesn’t reveal what exactly the club is thanking you for: for the time together, or for Shaqiri’s departure? Probably a little bit of both.

The separation was not surprising, although Chicago welcomed Shaqiri’s return from the European Championship, saying he was in top form and looking forward to the second half of the season. At least the latter was not the case.

Shaqiri’s night kick against Chicago Fire

At the European Championship, Shaqiri had already stated openly in the Swiss team training camp that he wanted to return to Europe after the game. It was time to “start a new chapter in my career.” When asked about his poor performance in the first half of the season in Chicago, he criticized the club’s management. The sporting decisions were wrong and he hoped that “the leadership will learn from their mistakes and do better.” This was a blatant attack on George Heitz, the Chicago Fire’s sporting director.

Basel’s Heitz arranged the move two and a half years ago when Shaqiri was unhappy again at Olympique Lyonnais just a few months after his last unhappy experience at Liverpool FC. Heitz knew Shaqiri and his family from his time as the sporting director of Basel. Shaqiri relished the role of star player.

He was not too happy with the failures of the sport; Chicago missed the championship twice. Shaqiri could not adapt to the closed league’s salary restrictions and strict squad composition rules. This season, Shaqiri was away from Chicago for the last time. He scored only two penalties and played only two full-time games in 14 games.

Shaqiri’s contract in the United States runs until the end of the year. He gives up about four months’ wages, or about 1.2 million francs. Chicago Fire doubled the fee and freed up one of three spots for designated players. As long as the transfer window remains open in the next three to four weeks (depending on the league), Shaqiri can look for a new employer. Who would that be?

Two European Championships are enough to be recommended

Shaqiri and his brother probably already know: it has to be the club that pays the highest wages. Shaqiri may have to disappoint many Basel fans who have called on social media for Shaqiri to finally return to his hometown club. Clubs in the Saudi Arabian region may be more willing to increase the annual salary by two or three million. One of the many rumors is that a club in Athens has shown interest in the player who is about to turn 33 and even offered a multi-year contract.

After all, Shaqiri had just proved at the European Championship that he can still be a decoration for every team and every football match. There was a lot of talk about his fitness before the final, and that Shaqiri might no longer run as much or sprint as much as he did a decade ago. But no one asked him to do so. Magic was required, and national team coach Murat Yakin trusted Shaqiri. And Shaqiri did it.

So, he scored a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw with Scotland, and after an hour, he was allowed to leave the Cologne Stadium to the cheers of the Swiss fans. Shaqiri was given another 11 minutes of action in the quarter-final against England. As the Swiss’s last move, he took the ball out for a corner, ran and shot, as if he had remembered his wish: “I want people to remember me as a player who brought joy to everyone.” Shaqiri wanted to convert the corner kick immediately. Switzerland would have qualified for the semi-finals without England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

It was fitting that Shaqiri’s final cheeky move in the quarter-final of the European Championship in Germany was also his last photo as an international, which suited him perfectly. Days after the quarter-final exit, he announced the end of his international career after 125 appearances, 32 goals and six finals appearances.

It is not clear whether he informed the association in advance. Xherdan Shaqiri announced his retirement from the national team on his channel. As a club player, you are not ready. How things will develop remains to be seen.