World Cup 2018: Former refugees at the world's grandest stage

#3 Xherdan Shaqiri

Shaqiri wins the ball during a friendly versus Japan.

Shaqiri was born in erstwhile Yugoslavia to Kosovo Albanian parents.

During the Kosovo war, his uncle’s house was burned down and his own family home was ransacked and everything stolen. The family decided to immigrate to Switzerland in 1992.

Living five minutes away from the football ground at SV Augst, football was the perfect medium to gel in with the locals. He played for SV Augst and FC Basel’s youth teams before landing a professional contract with FC Basel in 2009. He debuted in the same year and made 32 appearances in a triumphant league campaign.

After two more seasons at the club, he made a move to German giants Bayern Munich, where he even won a UEFA Champions League medal. A one-year stint on loan at Inter Milan followed, after which he moved to the English Premier League with his current club, Stoke City.

Shaqiri has been a regular in the Swiss national side since 2009. The 2018 edition will be his third World Cup for Switzerland. He takes immense pride in background and wears boots stitched with the national flags of Switzerland, Kosovo and Albania.