Xherdan Shaqiri returns to FC Basel

“Flocking” is a technical term for the process of printing numbers and player names on football jerseys. In the back room of the FCB fan shop on St. Jakobstraße in Basel, jerseys are expected to arrive in large numbers in the coming days and nights. The letters 1 and 0 for the new number 10 should be in stock, as well as, hopefully, the rather rare letter Q. It was important for FC Basel to be well prepared for the rush for jerseys of new and old FCB player Xherdan Shaqiri.

It’s a veritable masterstroke. On Friday afternoon, FC Basel announced the signing of Shaqiri. In its Friday edition, the newspaper wrote that there is no indication that the 32-year-old will sign for Basel. If Shaqiri has always been a surprising player on the pitch, now with his signing at FCB he has also become one off it. For Shaqiri and his entourage, material things have always been important during multiple events in Italy, England, France and, more recently, the United States. Now, at the end of your career, the emotional aspect obviously deserves space as well.

Shaqiri’s wage cut is a financial feat for Basel

Money still plays a role. FC Basel wrote that the signing was “only possible financially because FC Basel and especially Xherdan himself really want to get something in return”. This means: the club has to expand financially, but on the other hand the players earn less than before.

Shaqiri earns around 4 million francs per season at Chicago Fire. His annual salary on his three-year contract with Basel is now likely to be cut by more than half. But it still results in a salary that only a very small number of players in Switzerland receive.

Regardless of the financial calculations, the marriage between Shaqiri and FCB is clearly an emotional investment. In football, nothing sells better than emotions and big stories. Shaqiri’s return to his parent club is perhaps the greatest and most touching story in Swiss football history: the best Swiss player ever kept his promise and returned to his hometown of Basel Jorginho, where it all began. When Shaqiri introduces himself to the fans on Monday night or enters the stadium for the next game against Yverdon, Jorginho will be loved by many.

Love may be fleeting, but stories are forever. In 2009, Shaqiri made his championship debut for Basel at the age of 17. He was an apprentice clothing salesman at the time and saved money with his brothers in his third year so that he could attend training camps. He was considered a great talent and with his chubby cheeks and carefree attitude, his talent and his cheeky wit, he quickly made it into the regular lineup and into the hearts of the people of Basel.

When Shaqiri moved to Bayern in 2012 to start his career abroad, he had already become the son of the entire Bayern team, conquering the football world. Depending on your point of view, he handled it well. After six finals, 125 appearances and 32 goals, he retired as a national team player this summer. Now he has thrown himself into the arms of FC Basel. “We are excited,” FC Basel wrote. “I can’t wait,” said Shaqiri.

Shaqiri needs love and affection to do what he does best: tricks, tunnels, passes and of course always scoring magical goals, like in the European Championship against Scotland. If he feels that he is not getting this love, as in Chicago, previously at Bayern Munich, at Liverpool or elsewhere, things become difficult. This will not be a problem in Basel in the coming days. Shaq fever is rife in Basel.

Not a fighter or a runner, but an artist

The transfer has injected a surge of energy into the Basel club and into the league as a whole. Of course, whether the expensive promise of spectacle can last is another question. Shaqiri has played little this year and scored few goals. For him, who is about to turn 33, his athletic value should not mean new records. But whoever gets Shaqiri will not get a runner and a fighter at the same time. Rather, an artist who adds icing to the game.

FCB has experience in bringing in former players from abroad. Not only have these been successful in the past, but the return campaigns have been rewarded with titles and international success with the likes of Alex Frei, Marco Streller, Benjamin Huggel and a number of others. Things will happen quickly and Shaqiri will be judged by these times.

But it’s not that far yet. Right now there’s pure enthusiasm and endless anticipation. In fact, if Shaqiri’s jerseys don’t go on sale in the next few days, then the situation can only be cloudy. The fan shop is packed and bustling.