Even if you had never watched Xherdan Shaqiri play a full match, it’s likely you have seen one of his highlights. There is no shortage of them. That breakaway goal and controversial celebration against Serbia in the 2018 World Cup. That assist in the Liverpool-Barcelona comeback. That ridiculous bicycle kick against Poland at Euro 2016. Any of his pinpoint free-kick goals for Stoke.
This week, that career reached its low point – a disappointing two and a half seasons in Major League Soccer ended via mutual contract termination. Heralded as a potential franchise-altering acquisition for a desperate Chicago Fire team in 2022, the 32-year-old leaves the US having rarely looked above average in MLS. Often, he was significantly below that level. Given the money involved in his acquisition, there’s a compelling case to be made for Shaqiri as the league’s worst-value signing of all time.
