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Xherdan Shaqiri Must Leave Bayern Munich

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By @SamHader21

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Xherdan Shaqiri could be the poster boy for the term “mercurial player.” He’s fast, skillful on the ball, and can rip a shot from distance; he can also make huge impacts on the game and can carry his team on his back.

Although he’s relatively young, Shaqiri has captured the attention of many teams, including Roma and Liverpool, for his incredible play. Nicknamed “the Alpine Messi,” he most recently led his native country Switzerland in the World Cup to the Round of 16, where they narrowly lost to the runner-ups Argentina. His nickname is indicative of his precocious style of play and quality, and he was the driving force behind the Swiss’ World Cup campaign.

In the qualifying rounds, he single-handedly led the Swiss to a 3-0 victory, scoring all three goals and earning Man of the Match honors. International play has certainly allowed us to view a sliver of his potential, but it’s a much different story for club play.

As most fans of the beautiful game know, Bayern Munich is one of, if not the best team in the world. Their squad consists of German World Cup winners, along with a few gems from other international sides like the Dutchman Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery of France. They have the best goalkeeper on the planet in Manuel Neuer, and a genius manager in Pep Guardiola. It’s only fitting that Shaqiri belongs on such a coveted squad.

The problem is that he doesn’t get enough playing time, which can be argued both ways. On one hand, he has played brilliantly and is in good form so Pep should start him; on the other, Robben and Ribery are arguably the greatest dual-winger combination currently in soccer maybe besides Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Since he’s at a relatively young age, not stymieing Shaqiri’s growth as a player should be a priority, but it’s hard when world-class talents are sitting in front of him. He plays mainly as a right winger, where he is unfortunately placed behind Robben on the depth chart. He is essentially a downgraded version of Robben as well. Both players make their name by cutting in and bombarding shots on opposing keepers. This is so characteristic of Robben that opposing defenders know it’s coming, but he’s so good that they can’t stop him even with a forewarning.

Shaqiri could also be deployed as a central attacking midfielder, but Mario Goetze seems to have that position on lockdown as well, leaving no room for Shaqiri except on the bench. It’s simply not fair to have that happen to him, especially on the verge of his peak. Too often have players been brought in and left out to dry.

Real Madrid employed this method of wasting years of a talented player’s career for no apparent reason. In the first decade of the new millennium, Real Madrid brought in great (particularly Dutch) players, like Wesley Sneijder, Robben and Rafael van der Vaart, but soon threw them away like a kid with a new stuffed animal. They were brought in, barely used, and pushed down the ladder by the likes of bigger stars like Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso. Sound familiar, Xherdan?

The likes of Roma and Liverpool have been drawn by his ability, and rumors from London and Manchester suggest other huge clubs are too. He would fit in well with most teams since the contemporary football style is to deploy wingers flanking a strong forward or two. He is a recognized talent, but is locked into a contract until 2016.

He has been hinting at an exit in the summer, but decided to stay and fight for a spot in the starting XI. However, that’s not going to well at the moment. When the transfer window opens back up in January, a move could come to fruition for the young Swiss international.

While winning trophies is good, finding success at a club that will play you is the first and foremost goal of a young footballer. Shaqiri must realize this and hand in a transfer request in the coming months if he is to ever reach his full potential. He could learn a few things other than how to play from his superior, Robben, if he takes the time to look.

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