Xherdan Shaqiri has joined Liverpool in winning a league title this season, helping clinch the trophy with a nine-minute hat-trick for his boyhood club, Basel.
Across Europe this season, only two players have had a hand in more league goals than former Liverpool winger Shaqiri (38).
The 33-year-old, who rejoined Basel on a free transfer last summer, now has 18 goals and 20 assists in 31 games in the Swiss Super League – behind only Viktor Gyokeres and Mohamed Salah (both 46).
It has a remarkable campaign for Shaqiri, who captained his club to the title over the weekend via a 5-2 thrashing of Lugano on Saturday.
Basel went behind to an early goal but were 5-1 up by the hour mark, with Shaqiri – now playing as a No. 10 – scoring three in the space of nine second-half minutes.
Xherdan Shaqiri first joined Basel in 2001 and left in 2012 to join Bayern Munich…
12 years on, he rejoined them and helped them win their first league title in 8 years. This is how they honoured him. ?? pic.twitter.com/DAYVrxJSR5
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 12, 2025
Having taken all three points they needed Servette to lose or draw against Young Boys on Sunday evening, and with that tie ending 0-0, the title was confirmed as Basel’s.
Shaqiri and his teammates watched that game together before heading to the city’s Barfusserplatz where they celebrated in front of thousands of fans clad in red and blue.
This is the eighth league title of Shaqiri’s career, having previously won the Swiss Super League three times with Basel, the Bundesliga three times at Bayern Munich and the Premier League once with Liverpool.
Overall it is his 18th major trophy, including two Champions League triumphs, two Club World Cup wins and two UEFA Super Cups with Bayern and Liverpool.
“He’s decided practically every game”
Basel had not won the Swiss Super League since 2016/17 and their success is largely attributed to the heroic return of Shaqiri.
“The euphoria he’s sparked, and how he’s withstanding the pressure and even exceeding expectations, deserves the utmost respect,” former Basel teammate Marco Streller told Blick.
“Shaq is one of those figures from the region with whom people can immediately identify.
“Without wanting to diminish the merits of the others, what’s happening right now obviously has a lot to do with Xherdan.”
? ??? ??? ????? ?#FCBasel1893 #AlliZämme #BrennefürdrFCB #rotblaulive pic.twitter.com/0dExtVRjql
— FC Basel 1893 (@FCBasel1893) May 11, 2025
Servette head coach Thomas Haberli also paid tribute to Shaqiri after his side lost the title to Basel, saying: “What Shaq has achieved is incredible. In the last few weeks, he’s decided practically every game.
“Congratulations Basel, congratulations Shaq – hats off!”
Incredibly, Shaqiri’s fellow players did not vote him the Swiss Super League’s Player of the Season, with that award instead going to Alvyn Sanches of Lausanne.
