Xherdan Shaqiri is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career after returning to Basel, with his creative output in front of goal behind only Mohamed Salah.
Shaqiri left Liverpool for Lyon in 2021, before swiftly moving to Chicago Fire and then, after two years in MLS, back to boyhood club Basel.
His return to Switzerland comes at the tail end of a decorated career and the 33-year-old is now on course to add another Swiss Super League title to his list of honours.
Basel finished six points clear at the top of the regular season table and now head into the title playoffs as favourites to lift the title over Servette, Young Boys, Luzern, Lugano and Lausanne.
Key to that has been the form of Shaqiri, who scored one and assisted three more in a 5-0 win over Yverdon Sport in the final game of the regular season on Monday.
That hat-trick of assists brought his league tally to 17 for the season, with Salah (18) the only player across Europe’s top 15 leagues to register more assists.
??? Xherdan Shaqiri (33) with a fantastic finish for Basel. No stopping that! ?? pic.twitter.com/kF5aVvElIH
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 13, 2025
In total, Shaqiri has 14 goals and 17 assists in 29 games in the Swiss Super League, with his 31 goal contributions behind only Salah (45), Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres (41), Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (33) and Man City‘s Omar Marmoush (33).
Of course, the standard of the Swiss Super League is considerably lower than the Premier League, or the rest of Europe’s standout leagues, but it remains a hugely impressive achievement.
Shaqiri has also scored two and assisted one in three games in the Swiss Cup so far, with Basel into the semi-finals where they face Lausanne on Sunday.
It means Basel – owned by David Degen, the twin brother of former Liverpool defender Philipp Degen – could celebrate a double by the end of the campaign.
Along with being their top goalscorer and assist-maker, Shaqiri has captained Basel since the turn of the year and has played in every fixture since his arrival in August, starting 29 of his 32 appearances.
Having joined Basel’s academy as a 10-year-old in 2001 and progressed to the first team where, after debuting in 2009, he played 130 times before leaving for Bayern Munich in 2012, it has been an heartwarming reunion.
Shaqiri and Salah did not play together at Basel, with the Egyptian signed as the winger’s replacement in 2012.
But they did go on to share the pitch on 52 occasions while at Liverpool, with Shaqiri helping to win the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his time in the No. 23 shirt.
