The Liverpool midfielder admits to having grown up idolising a legendary striker and is proud to have tasted success of his own at the highest level
Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri admits to having grown up idolising legendary striker Ronaldo, with the Swiss going as far as copying the Brazilian’s “triangle” haircut and crying when he lost big games.
Shaqiri was a starry-eyed youngster looking to make a mark at FC Basel when Ronaldo was at the peak of his powers around the turn of the 21st century.
He had already cemented a standing as one of the most fearsome frontmen in the global game by that point, but inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002 before securing a big-money move to Real Madrid.
Shaqiri admits that he forms part of that group, with the 28-year-old Liverpool playmaker telling the Reds’ official website of his fondness for Ronaldo: “I liked him, his style and how he was playing was so amazing.
“He was my big, big idol. I did his haircut too – in 2002, the triangle – I did it, too. Everybody was shocked in school when I went to school with this haircut. But I loved him and I still love him.
“He is my big idol. I wish I could meet him. I was not really copying him, because every player is so different and has different specialities and different talents. But he was my big hero back in the day.
“When he lost against France in the [1998 World Cup] final, I was crying at home. He was my big idol.”
Having grown up wanting to be like Ronaldo, Shaqiri has gone on to enjoy a number of notable successes himself .
Having represented the likes of Bayern Munich, Inter and Liverpool, the Swiss star has graced the very top of the game and accumulated an enviable collection of major honours.
Shaqiri said of his achievements: “To be honest, I never thought I would do this kind of career.
“Sometimes I tell my family, ‘Look where I played, look how many trophies I won.’ It’s just incredible.
“You cannot have that every day, or not everyone can say they won the Champions League twice with two different teams, twice a world champion, many titles with Bayern Munich in Germany and in Switzerland too with Basel.
“It’s just amazing, it’s like a dream how I live every day. And I enjoy it, that’s my thing – to stay grounded and enjoy it on my own with my family and my people around who are very proud of what I achieved until now.
“And I want to give this to this club [Liverpool] too, my experience, what I did with big clubs. That can only be a positive.”
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