Xherdan Shaqiri, the Swiss forward, made the decision to retire from the national team at the age of 32. His announcement came shortly after playing his 125th game for Switzerland, with his final match ending in a penalty shootout defeat against England in the European Championship quarterfinals. In that match, as a substitute during extra time, the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player hit the crossbar directly from a corner before successfully converting his penalty kick in the shootout.
Shaqiri had minimal playing time during Euro 2024, starting just one of the five games but managed to score a standout goal against Scotland. This tournament marked his seventh major appearance for Switzerland since debuting at the 2010 World Cup as an 18-year-old. Shaqiri expressed his farewell to the national team in a post on social media, thanking everyone for their support.
With 125 appearances, Shaqiri holds the second most-capped record for Switzerland, behind his long-time teammate and captain Granit Xhaka with 130 caps. Throughout his career, Shaqiri scored a total of 32 goals for his national team, including five in both the World Cup and the European Championships.