"I’m proud of Switzerland!": Xherdan Shaqiri reacts to Nemo's Eurovision victory
Saturday was a historic day for the country of Switzerland as Swiss singer Nemo prevailed in the Eurovision Song Contest, marking the Alpine nation’s first victory since 1988.
It was somewhat less memorable for the Chicago Fire, who hopelessly stumbled to a third defeat in four matches, losing 3-1 at regional rivals St. Louis City. Fire captain and ex-Liverpool and Bayern München star Xherdan Shaqiri was one of several Swiss figures associated with the two teams, as ex-Dortmund keeper Roman Bürki was between the posts for St. Louis and FC Lugano loanee Allan Arigoni started at right back for the Fire. Swiss national team hopeful Maren Haile-Selassie missed out through injury, while former FC Basel sporting director Georg Heitz watched from the box.
It was a difficult night for Shaqiri, as it was for most of his Men in Red team that is currently seeking answers as they sit just one position above the basement of MLS. Nonetheless, the now-32-year-old icon could not hide his joy upon hearing of his country’s triumph.
Swiss national team star Xherdan Shaqiri reacts to his country’s victory in Eurovision today 🇨🇭
#Schweiz #Eurovision #cf97 pic.twitter.com/SZkCpz6N7E
— Alex Calabrese (@amcalabrese12) May 12, 2024
“I’m proud of [Nemo] and I’m proud of Switzerland,” the Nati star told MIR97 Media. “We see a lot of Swiss people around America. They come to Chicago to see me, and we are looking forward to the Euros this season, and we go as far as possible to make them proud.”
Despite a slow start to the MLS season in which he has recorded just two goals (both penalties) and one assist, Shaqiri is expected to be a part of Murat Yakin’s squad for the aforementioned European Championships in Germany. Switzerland have been placed in a difficult but manageable group alongside Hungary, Scotland, and hosts Germany.
Nemo, whose full name is Nemo Mettler, hails from Biel, a small Swiss city about an hour’s train ride away from Shaqiri’s native Basel. Nemo won the contest, which holds significant cultural prominence in many European countries (drawing around 162 million viewers in 2023) performing "the Code" and just beating out Croatia in the final vote tally. A combination of European television viewers and a pre-determined jury selected the winner after the contest was held in Malmö, Sweden. As the reigning winner, Switzerland will now host next year's event.
