Playing for Switzerland at the UEFA European U-21 Championship 2011, the Muslim forward player made his first international debut in that same year. Eight of Switzerlands 23 World Cup players were born abroad, more than any other European team present in Russia, and more than all but three of the tournaments teams overall. The country those players represent, however, has taken an increasingly skeptical view of immigrants like them, seeing their success not as a benefit of their presence but as an indictment of expanded immigration that has diluted the Swiss identity. A once-in-a-generation player, Zidane has made an extremely successful transition to management, even winning the Champions League twice in two years with Real Madrid. Sportsbrief.com has recently published an article on the rivalry between two of the best all-time strikers, Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero. He earned his first appearance for the Switzerland national team on 8 18. WebSwitzerland's Muslim football heroes. "I'm a Kosovar Albanian," was his answer, firmly identifying himself with a group which he knows very well has been demonised by some sections of Swiss society. Webameriwood home 6972015com; jeffco public schools staff directory. In this first episode, we present some of these players you may like to look out for. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Xherdan Shaqir is a Swiss professional footballer who plays for the Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team. To me it is not about the`true Swiss and the other Swiss, rather it is about the question whether people still can identify with the national team, Swiss national team captain Stephan Lichtsteiner told a right-wing newspaper in 2015. While some might say Wayne Rooney had his peak at an early stage and Sergio Aguero had a standard growth curve bagging the most EPL goals by a player for one club, they are both exceptional. He is a Muslim but celebrates Christmas, which is a mainly Christian celebration. It should be mentioned that the list includes only those Muslim footballers who are playing at the top-level football clubs. [78], In July 2017, Xhaka married his long-term partner, Leonita Lekaj. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". He was the youngest player ever in a World Cup squad in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, then aged 19. Capable of breaking up play and setting up attacks with equal ease, Xhaka, after a tough settling period, has become a very important player for the Gunners in recent seasons. Dzeko will be determined to add some more chapters to his already storied career. TMV is a grassroots media platform with an aim to inspire, inform and empower Western Muslims; through powerful and engaging Islamic content. (Laylatul Bara'ah). He said: I always do that before I go out [on the pitch]. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He is a French centre-back for the Premier League team West Ham and the France National team. Unsurprisingly the Turkey squad boasts the most Muslim footballers of any squad in this summers tournament, and arguably one of their biggest stars is Arda Turan, who recently signed for Barcelona in 2015 for a fee of upwards of 34 million. The Senegalese forward has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League and Mane credited religion with playing a huge role in his success. Ricklis Swiss Peoples Party holds 65 of the 200 seats in the Swiss National Council more than any other party gaining 11 seats in 2015 elections. Not afraid of crunching into tackles, Xhakas physical presence in the centre of the field coupled with his ball-playing skills gives Arteta's side a new dimension. ", "Better than Shaqiri the teenage Basel star who Bayern Munich must stop tonight", "Der 15. Paul Merson's wife: stats, Twitter, career, photos, g*mbling. Ramazan Ozcan Ingolstadt; Belgium Born in 2002 to Bosnian parents, Beir Omeragi is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defender for FC Zrich. by placing quotas on the number of migrants allowed to enter the country. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. [31] [67], Xhaka was named in manager Vladimir Petkovi's 23-man Swiss squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Who is Osman Bukari? Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker and captains the La Liga club Real Madrid and the French national team. Xhaka, whose team won 10, was playing against his brother Taulant. [75] In September 2019, Xhaka offered his captaincy to Xherdan Shaqiri in an effort to get him to return to the national side. The below video shows Adebayor converting to Islam in July 2015: One of the most talented strikers to emerge from France, Nicolas Anelka converted to Islam from Christianity when he was just 16. On 30 September, he made his first appearance for Borussia in the Champions League proper in a 12 group stage loss at home to Manchester City. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The Swiss roster has seven players with Asmir Begovic, Bosnian Switzerland's old national stereotype of being well-drilled and efficient has traditionally translated onto the pitch. WebGranit Xhaka (born 27 September 1992) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and captains the Switzerland national team. Before the World Cup, SVP member Ronald Koeppel called, the national team a seasoned troupe of foreign mercenaries with Balkan accents,. One of the greatest wingers of all time, Franck Ribery converted to Islam in 2002 after being inspired by his wife Wahiba, who is of Algerian descent. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. He is one of the worlds best Muslim football players. Vote up the best soccer players from Switzerland, and help decide who is the greatest Swiss footballer of all time! Since his breakthrough into Basels first team, the left-footed midfielder has drawn widespread praise for his speed, both on and off the ball. He made his senior debut in 2011 and has won over 110 caps, representing the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018 and 2022 and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020. More recently, last December, he was asked how he celebrated Christmas. Now let us take a look at names that might surprise you: One of the greatest African players of the last generation, Emmanuel Adebayor has had a successful career at various top clubs across Europe including Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. '[45] On 1 August 2020, Xhaka was selected to start in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, and went on to win his second winners' medal as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup. The Swiss team reached the final without conceding a goal, but lost to Spain 20. In 2014, 15 of the 23 players on its World Cup roster were born abroad or had immediate ties to other countries, including Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Cape Verde, the Ivory Coast, Italy, Croatia, Chile and Turkey. In September 2020, he had called up to the Switzerland squad for UEFA Nations League fixtures against Ukraine and Germany. There are also current Swiss football stars such as Granit Xhaka, Ricardo Rodrguez, and Xherdan Shaqiri, who led Switzerland to a quarter-finals appearance at the Euro Cup 2020. [65] Xhaka played every minute of Switzerland's campaign, which ended in the round of 16 with a loss to Poland at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard; after a 11 draw he was the only player to not score in the penalty shoot-out, shooting wide. He scored his first and only goal of the season in a 32 loss at 1. A lot of Muslim players will be representing their countries in this years tournament. Zinedine Zidane is regarded as one of the most popular Muslim footballers of all time, thanks to his prowess in the game. Switzerland's old national stereotype of being well-drilled and efficient has traditionally translated onto the pitch. 10 footballers you did not know were Muslim. Before joining Arsenal, he was with Borussia Monchengladbach (BMG) in Born in Yugoslavia from Albanian origin, the Muslim footballer plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. Xhaka began his career at hometown club FC Basel, winning the Swiss Super League in each of his first two seasons. Arsenal and Swiss star Granit Xhaka has been a vital part of the North London side's midfield. Eight of Switzerlands 23 World Cup players were born abroad, more than any other European team present in Russia, and more than all but three of the tournaments teams overall. Luckily, the season ends just before the celebration, and fasting can be done during the off-season. Switzerland has also considered banning Muslim women from wearing burqas. Admir Mehmedi. In the next match, against VfB Stuttgart, Xhaka again captained the side and scored a goal in a 31 win. In 2009, 57 percent of the Swiss population approved a measure that would prohibit the construction of new minarets in the country. WebSwitzerland's Muslim football heroes. Arzani is the 24-year-old Iran-born midfielder and winger for Macarthur FC and the Australian national team. [citation needed], Before making his international debut for Switzerland, Xhaka was still undecided whether to play for his birth country or Albania, and he complained to the Albanian sports media that FSHF was ignoring him while the Swiss Football Association was showing much more interest. Dembl is the 25-year-old, French-born wing for FC Barcelona and the French national team. It does not store any personal data. A list of the best South African players abroad: Bafana Bafanas best footballers. Since his breakthrough into Basels first team, the left-footed midfielder has drawn widespread praise for his speed, both on and off the ball. [49] The match eventually ended with Burnley winning 10 after teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored an own goal at the 73rd minute. Image rights belong to the respective owners. He transferred to Barcelona in 2018 as one of the most expensive football players ever (105m euros, or 411.7m AED). ", Granit Xhaka meanwhile told a Swiss newspaper: "We play for Switzerland and we are proud to give our all. The 22-year-old Xherdan Shaqiri represents the Swiss national team in the ongoing France Euro 2016. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. There are also current Swiss football stars such as Granit Xhaka, Ricardo Rodrguez, and Xherdan Shaqiri, who led Switzerland to a quarter-finals appearance at the Euro Cup 2020. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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