The Swiss Football Association has taken leave of three of its greatest players. Xherdan Shaqiri, Yann Sommer and Fabian Schär were honored in St. Gall before the kick-off of Switzerland – Denmark.
With his 125 caps and 32 goals between 2010 and 2024, Xherdan Shaqiri leaves an indelible mark. The only player to have scored at least one goal during the last three World Cups and Euros, the Basel native can advance as perhaps the greatest Swiss player in history. In any case, there is a match between Stéphane Chapuisat, Granit Xhaka and him.
Selected 94 times, Yann Sommer will remain, for his part, as the man who stopped Kylian Mbappé’s penalty during the penalty shootout in the round of 16 of Euro 2021 against France. Retaining only this one save is of course reductive for a goalkeeper of his talent. But this parade was to trigger a unique enthusiasm in the country, from Geneva to Romanshorn.
International 86 times, Fabian Schär bows out at – only – 32 years old while Murat Yakin was really counting on him for the upcoming events. Having become a full-fledged starter again this year, the Saint-Gallois can harbor perhaps only one regret: that of not having been able to stop Lionel Messi on the action which allowed Argentina to score the only goal in the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup in Sao Paulo. The last defender on the Argentine captain’s path before he delivered his offering to Angel di Maria, Fabian Schär was, it is true, confronted with an impossible mission in this action. Unless, as he later admitted, “to belt him out at the cost of a red card”. But that went against the essence of the game.
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This article was automatically published. Source: ats
