Stoke City sign ‘Alpine Messi’ Shaqiri
Can the 'Alpine Messi' do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke? We're about to find out, if all goes to plan for the Premier League club.
Some footballers touted as the next x, y, or z often find themselves under insurmountable pressure to perform. Some footballers deal well with the compounding stress, and shine under the spotlight. Some don’t do so well, and fade into the background. When your young career takes you from FC Basel to Bayern Munich, at 19 years old, your head may perk up as you think ‘This is my shot’.
After 52 appearances at Bayern in three years, scoring 11 goals, unable to shift the marauding monopoly of wingers at the German outfit that is Robben and Ribery, you’re sold to Inter. You think, ‘Okay, it didn’t work out but this is a fresh start’.
After 15 appearances and only one goal in your first half season, things aren’t looking encouraging. You’re optimistic though; you’re at a big club, surrounded by good players, and you’re only 22, you can only improve, right?
Wait, there’s a club that wants you and they’re based in the Premier League? One of the world’s best footballing competitions, with some of the best players in the world, and you’re gonna play alongside some of them? Like who? Hazard? Di Maria? Ozil? Aguero?
Oh, Peter Crouch and Ryan Shawcross.
People always say ‘Messi’s good, but can he do it on a cold and rainy night in Stoke?” Xherdan Shaqiri may only be the Swiss Edition, according to the Swiss tabloid newspaper Blick, but he will have his chance to put the question to bed.
Though it may seem like an unambitious move for such a bright young winger, Internazionale having accepted a bid of £12m from Stoke City, who expressed interest in January when Shaqiri eventually chose Italy, it does signal intent on the part of the Staffordshire-based club. Last summer they signed Bojan Krkic, and those of you with a sharp memory will hear the echos of more Messi comparisons.
Shaqiri, the talent that he is, can only do Stoke a favour.
