5 things you didn't know about new Liverpool signing Xherdan Shaqiri

Liverpool Unveil New Signing Xherdan Shaqiri — Xherdan Shaqiri was unveiled as Liverpool player on Friday

#2 Former teammate of Mohamed Salah

FBL-ENG-PR-LIVERPOOL-STOKE — Shaqiri and Salah crossed paths six years ago

Can and Shaqiri being teammates is pointless now isn't it? The former isn't even a Liverpool player anymore. However, there is one player Shaqiri is pretty familiar with - Merseyside's beloved Mohamed Salah.

As mentioned before, Shaqiri began his senior team career with Swiss side FC Basel and Salah also had a stint with the club back in 2012.

After impressing in Switzerland for three years, Shaqiri had agreed to move to Bayern Munich when the transfer window opens in 2012. Coincidentally, it was when a young Salah caught the eyes of the Basel scouts.

The now Liverpool number 11 was invited for a trial at the club, during which he impressed and landed a contract with the club.

Shaqiri was still at the club when Salah arrived for his trials and the Swiss international claims that his new teammate trained with him for around three teams six years ago.

“He came for training and a trial when I was at Basel. He came to train two or three times, I trained with him,” Shaqiri told Liverpoolfc.com.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Amar Anand