Like a legend of FC Basel – midfielder Taulant Xhaka ends his career in the summer, with an unfulfilled dream

After a total of 13 seasons, 10 trophies and over 400 matches with Basel, Taulant Xhaka will end his professional career at the end of the season. 

Taulant Xhaka embodies loyalty to the red and blue club like no other: In 2003, at the age of 12, the midfielder joined the youth department of FC Basel. 

He made his debut for the first team in 2010 and, with the exception of a year-and-a-half loan at GC, has worn the red and blue jersey throughout his professional career – in a total of 406 competitive matches to date.  

❤️💙 𝐹Ü𝑅 𝐼𝑀𝑀𝐸𝑅# FCBasel1893 #AlliZämme #BrennefürdrFCB #rotblaulive pic.twitter.com/QxaUb5CYM9

— FC Basel 1893 (@FCBasel1893) February 12, 2025

Taulant Xhaka has won the Swiss championship six times and the Swiss Cup four times with FC Basel. 

The midfielder also played for the Albanian national team in 30 matches, scoring one goal, while he was part of the Rossoneri at Euro 2016.

In recent weeks, the 33-year-old has approached FCB executives and requested talks to terminate his contract, which runs until 2027, at the end of the season.  

Read too Taulant Xhaka tells about the plea he made to Granit not to travel to Serbia: It is not easy to stay under control for 90 minutes

"Everything I've been able to experience with this club so far still feels like a dream to me – especially as a citizen of Basel. I've been able to experience so many wonderful moments at FCB, I've had so many great teammates in the dressing room and I've been able to compete against the best footballers in the world."

"It was always important for me to decide for myself when I would stop playing football and now I have come to the conclusion that the summer is the right time. I will be 34 years old at the end of March and what could be better than to retire at the age of 34, the number I have worn on my back since my youth," declared Xhaka. 

𝓔𝓷𝓸𝓱𝓱𝓮# FCBasel1893 #AlliZämme #BrennefürdrFCB #rotblaulive pic.twitter.com/sNeVQQ9Mt9

— FC Basel 1893 (@FCBasel1893) February 12, 2025

This means that his big dream will not come true. That was: To play again alongside his brother, Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka, for FC Basel.  

Granit has repeatedly stressed that he would like to play with his brother again. And Taulant wanted this too. /Telegraph/