Famously known as the “Magic Dwarf,” Xherdan Shaqiri is the well-known son of Isen Shaqiri, a retired Alpine farmer, and Fatime Shaqiri, a retired cleaner. His parents emigrated to Switzerland in 1992, which led to Xherdan acquiring Swiss citizenship through naturalization. In fact, he holds multiple nationalities, including Swiss, Kosovan, and Albanian.
Shaqiri’s integration into Swiss culture was swift, although it came with its own challenges. During his school days, he was often seen as the outsider in the class. Not coming from a wealthy background only made him more resilient. Young Xherdan never missed a training session since he was eight years old, and his unique approach to training became the foundation of his strength and conditioning. Thanks to his powerful calf muscles, he has a lower risk of injury. Doctors believe he is less prone to injuries, and some fans jokingly say that Shaqiri was born under a leg press machine.
The Rise of the ‘Magic Dwarf’: Shaqiri’s Journey from Immigrant Roots to Football Fame
We present the Full Story of a Swiss Football Genius who is best known by the Nickname; ‘Magic Dwarf’.
Our take on Xherdan Shaqiri’s biography, including his childhood story, provides a comprehensive look at notable events from his early years. We’ll then details how the Magic Dwarf achieved success.
The analysis of Xherdan Shaqiri’s biography involves his life story before fame, his relationship life, his family life, and many OFF-Pitch, which are little-known facts about him.
Yes, everyone knows about his unpredictability, but few consider Xherdan Shaqiri’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s Begin.
Xherdan Shaqiri Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
To begin his biography, Xherdan Shaqiri was born on October 10, 1990, in Gjilan, a city and municipality in the Gjilan District of eastern Kosovo, Serbia (formerly part of Yugoslavia).
He is a Libra by birth. Xherdan was born to his mother, Fatime Shaqiri (a retired cleaner) and father, Isen Shaqiri (a retired Alpine farmer).
Xherdan Shaqiri’s parents emigrated to Switzerland in 1992 with their three siblings. Ideally, Xherdan has multiple nationalities.
They include Swiss, Kosovo, Albanian and Swiss. Xherdan acquired his Swiss citizenship through naturalization.
This is young Xherdan Shaqiri in his glorious childhood days.
As a new immigrant, Xherdan Shaqiri’s integration into the Swiss culture was swift. During his school days, he was seen as the only alien in the class.
He worked on his dad’s Alpine farm while he was back from school. He would also help his mum, Fatime, sell clothes after returning from her cleaning job.
Xherdan’s father was motivated to encourage his sons to start football after seeing young migrants taking football to quickly get out of poverty.
In 1999, he promptly enrolled his three sons in a nearby local youth club, SV Augst.
It was the youngest (Xherdan Shaqiri) who scaled through the trial. He started out well for the club. “Do not forget where you’re from,” Xherdan’s dad would tell him before any major competition.
Being the standout player on his team earned him a spot at FC Basel, where he won several honors, including three Swiss Super League titles. He then moved to Bayern Munich, where, despite limited playing time, he collected eight domestic and international trophies.
In January 2015, he transferred to Inter Milan for €15 million, and seven months later, he joined Stoke City for a club-record £12 million. The rest, as they say, is history.
Xherdan Shaqiri Relationship Life:
Once upon a time, there was a rumour that Xherdan Shaqiri had a girlfriend or wife, though it later became unproven.
However, more recently, a piece of new evidence arrived. The Magic Dwarf was finally caught openly in a Stoke restaurant, flirting with a model named Angelica. Here is the Magic Dwarf.
The moment Xherdan Shaqiri was spotted with his new lover, Angelica.
It didn’t take long before Paparazzi saw Magic Dwart getting so Flirtatious With WAG Angelica, as seen in the photo below. Magic Dwarf was getting so Flirtatious with his girlfriend.
Angelica appears to initiate a kiss to the Magic Dwarf.
The Swiss-Albanian player later told the press:Â “I didn’t notice paparazzi taking pictures of me.” Â
And about Angelica: “Some friends of mine brought the lady to the restaurant. She’s not my wife. That’s all I can say for now!” Well, Shaqiri couldn’t be clearer than that!
Xherdan Shaqiri Family Life:
Having his migrant father as a local Alpine farmer and migrant mum as a cleaner literally means coming from a low income family background.
This was the case of Xherdan Shaqiri before his football investment paid off.
About Xherdan Shaqiri Father:
Isen Shaqiri is known to be a strict and very controversial father.
His unmatched work and the act of pushing his sons to face their fears is solely responsible for Xherdan becoming one of Switzerland’s biggest football talents.
Isen Shaqiri is super proud of what his son has become in Football.
Isen now takes all the glory of his son’s success after carefully nurturing him right from his youth.
In his words Papa Isen: “We also had difficult times in our lives, we know the poor and the rich. I have always given my son’s full support for football.Â
The fact that my children were not born with the golden spoon in their mouths only made us stronger.
Among my three sons, the fate that distinguishes Xherdan is innate, fortunately! Because that makes him more special.”
Thanks to his son’s wealth, Isen Shaqiri was forced out of retirement from his farm work. These days, he does no other thing than to watch his son play football together.
Below is Isen Shaqiri and his wife, Fatime Shaqiri, attending a training session for their son.
Xherdan Shaqiri’s parents watch their son in a training session.
Big football Money earned by Xherdan Shaqiri is well invested, preferably in real estate, which is managed by his dad, Isen Shaqiri.
About Xherdan Shaqiri Mother:
Xherdan’s mum, Fatime, in terms of her personality, is very protective of her son.
When “Shaq” calls his mum, she does not want to hear anything sporty. She only wants to hear he’s fine and not having any football injury.
In her words of Mama Fatime: “Xherdan always liked my food. He especially loves my Albanian specialities. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to cook for him because he lives far away in England. He feasts on my food whenever we visit ourselves.”
About Xherdan Shaqiri Brothers:
Arianit Shaqiri and Erdin Shaqiri are the two elder brothers of Xherdan Shaqiri. Erdin currently manages his career as at the time of writing.
He lives in Stoke-on-Trent, England. His other brother, Arianit, lives with him in Munich. He is a close friend of Frank Ribery. Both Erdin and Xherdan play a lot of ping-pong and PlayStation at home.
Arianit (left) -Erdin (central)- and Xherdan (right).
About Xherdan Shaqiri Sister:
Medina Shaqiri is the only sister to Xherdan Shaqiri. She currently lives in Switzerland and, oftentimes, visits her brother in England (His country of play at the time of writing).
This is Medina Shaqiri, she is Xherdan Shaqiri’s Sister.
In her words…Â Â “I am the smallest of the family, and I really like all my three brothers. Unfortunately, I hardly see Xherdan because of his football commitments. I’m his biggest fan, and I hope he wins a lot in his career. We are all very proud of him. “
Xherdan Shaqiri Power Facts:
Xherdan Shaqiri has never missed a training session since he was eight years old. The explosive power athlete is known for demanding his own type of training.
In fact, he takes his own massive pole with him to training. He loves to put lots of weight on his shoulders which pushes the world down.
Magic Dwarf takes his own massive pole with him to training.
The ‘Magic Dwarf’ is known for his short, stocky frame, which makes his leg movement perfect.
If you want to build a strong set of legs, you have to lunge. Lunge your heart out. That’s what a young Shaqiri must have been told as a child.
Whenever the Stoke City team bus would break down, the dependable Swiss powerhouse would get off and drag it the rest of the way before putting in a 90-minute shift in midfield.
Indeed, his physicality below shows he is capable of dragging a bus to its destination.
His movement has benefited his yam-shaped legs, which is the foundation of his strength and conditioning. With his kind of calf muscle, there has been a lower risk of injury. In fact, some of his fans have said he was born under a leg press machine.
The origin of his Calf muscle started back when Shaqiri was a wee child. Apparently, his parents refused to buy him a space hopper as a nipper.
So Shaqiri would bounce around his neighbourhood on his imaginary hopper, which saw the beginnings of his awesome leg power.
Xherdan Shaqiri Untold Bio – Reason behind Nickname:
According to FIFA’s official website, his unpredictable ball skills have earned him the nickname “the magic dwarf.”
Shaqiri is often referred to as the Alpine Messi, not only for his speed and talent but also for his similar stature. Both Shaqiri and Messi are about 1.69m tall, which gives them a low center of gravity that enhances their unique playing style.
This similarity led to Shaqiri being chosen to appear on the cover of FIFA 15 in Switzerland alongside Lionel Messi.
Coca-Cola Promoter:
In Swiss, some plastic Coca-Cola bottles have on them a wrapped image of football star Xherdan Shaqiri. Shaqiri was once chosen as the promoter for Coca-Cola.
Now, his excellent performance with Bayern Munch, Stoke City as well as the Swiss National team has made him the face of Coca-Cola in the Swiss market.
Many youngsters and older Swiss people are fond of asking for the can with Xherdan’s photo on it. This leaves the other Coca-Cola drinks without his picture to be less sold. They are always willing to buy the drink.
Xherdan Shaqiri has been in the hearts and minds of Swiss football fans. Monies won through codes revealed in Shaqiri’s Coca-Cola bottle covers have made many Swiss richer.
Xherdan Shaqiri Religion:
The Swiss is a true Muslim. His religious faith was tested during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Ramadan fell during the World Cup.
During this period, Muslims were expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. Most Muslim footballers chose not to fast during the tournament.
Xherdan, unlike Mesut Ozil, faithfully observed fasting during the 2014 FIFA tournament, even while he featured for his Swiss national team. Ideally, he is a Muslim who believes in Jesus Christ and also celebrates Christmas.
Personal Life:
Did you know?… Shaqiri is Libra and has the following attributes to his personality.
Xherdan Shaqiri’s Strengths:Â Cooperative, diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded, social
Shaqiri’s Weaknesses:Â Indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge, self-pity
Xherdan Shaqiri’s Libra likes: Harmony, gentleness, sharing with others, the outdoors.
Shaqiri’s Libra dislikes: Violence, injustice, loudmouths, and conformity.
Fact Check
Thanks for reading our Xherdan Shaqiri Childhood Story, plus untold biography facts.
We strive for accuracy and fairness while delivering you the Biography of Swiss Footballers. Surely, the history of Zeki Amdouni and Marko Arnatovic will interest you. If you see something that doesn’t look right in this article, please leave a comment or contact us!
