Who is Xherdan Shaqiri, the reinforcement that could arrive at Chicago Fire?

MLS 2022 has teams looking for reinforcements all over the place and so, today, one question has league fans in suspense: Who is Xherdan Shaqiri, the reinforcement that could be coming to the Chicago Fire?

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And the question is not for less since the Red Machine could get a real monster who is going for his fourth World Cup, as he is an international with the Swiss national team.

Who is Xherdan Shaqiri?

Shaqiri is a Swiss footballer who plays as a midfielder for Olympique Lyon in France's Ligue 1 and who, according to reports from journalist Tom Bogert, is about to arrive as a reinforcement for the Chicago Fire. 

Although the deal is at an advanced stage, it has not yet been finalized, but close sources have assured that the transfer fee paid to Lyon will be around €6.5 million / $7.5 million and that Shaqiri would arrive at the club as a Designated Player.

Where and when was Xherdan Saquri born?

The midfielder was born in Gnjilane (Yugoslavia, now Kosovo) to Kosovar Albanian parents on October 10, 1991, and is known in his homeland as "the Messi of the Alps" due to his great ability on the pitch. 

A year after his birth, the player and his family emigrated to Switzerland, where the family settled in August, very close to the German and French borders.

What other teams have Xherdan Shaqiri played for?

Shaqiri has played for several top European teams: F. C. Basel, F. C. Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Stoke City FC, and Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool F. C., before moving to Olympique Lyon.

But despite having been in so many teams, the player has not been just another one of the bunch.

Nothing could be further from the truth, as we are talking about a two-time Champions League winner with Bayern and Liverpool, a three-time Bundesliga winner, a Premier League winner, and a three-time Swiss league winner.

So if this signing comes to fruition, and the player adapts to the Chicago Fire game plan, the Red Machine could be a real steamroller in the championship. 

Shaqiri, 30, is truly a beast who has been capped 100 times for Switzerland and scored 26 goals, and the way things are going, he could be heading to his next World Cup. 

Chicago enters the 2022 season with two Designated Player spots open, with only Paraguayan international midfielder Gaston Gimenez retaining that status.

The team is led by new coach Ezra Hendrickson and last week acquired forward Kacper Przybylko from the Philadelphia Union as they look to lift the MLS Cup this tournament.

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