Despite his disregard in the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur, Xherdan Shaqiri feels jointly responsible for the Madrid triumph. The Swiss international is satisfied with his first season at FC Liverpool – even if he would like to play more often. A goodbye is not an issue.
Xherdan Shaqiri was not quite so new on Saturday to the feeling of holding the Champions League Cup in the sky. The London triumph with FC Bayern in 2013 was followed by the Madrid triumph with FC Liverpool in 2019, but Shaqiri did not play at Wanda Metropolitano either, nor at Wembley.
He wasn’t sad about it after the final whistle. The joy of winning the most coveted title in club football for the second time outweighed the 27-year-old Offensivmann. “In the end, the team always wins,” he said smilingly in conversation with SOCCERSCORE and Goal. “It’s a special moment for me to be back here with the gold medal. I’m just proud and happy.”
Despite just 176 minutes in the premier class, Shaqiri can rightly claim to have played a decisive part in the Reds’ sixth European Cup victory. In the semi-final miracle against FC Barcelona, he had been in the starting line-up and had prepared Georginio Wijnaldum’s 3-0 lead with a perfectly timed cross. “I think I played my part in the title,” Shaqiri said after the 2-0 final against Spurs.
The left foot, who came to the Mersey from Stoke City last summer for 14.7 million euros, is “satisfied” with his first season under Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp. He had “learned a lot” and shown “very good performance” for his terms when Klopp let him do it. Shaqiri scored a total of 30 competitive games, scoring six goals and preparing five more.
Nevertheless, the 80-times Swiss national player said that he wanted to be “more frequent” in the coming season. “Who doesn’t want that?” At the same time, however, he stressed: “I am with FC Liverpool, the best team in Europe. The coach has many good options and must decide who plays. It was already clear to me before my change that there was a lot of competition here.”
He therefore did not concern himself with a farewell. “I have a long-term contract (until 2023; editor’s note) and will definitely stay,” Shaqiri clarified.
