Granit Xhaka has become one of world’s best midfielders – at 31

It feels rather fitting that a man called Granit has proven himself to be so resilient over the years. Plenty have tried to chip away at Switzerland’s captain but here he stands, strong and tall, playing the best football of his life at the age of 31.

For many followers of English football, the sight of Granit Xhaka lining up against Gareth Southgate’s team this weekend will not, instinctively, be a source of significant concern. After seven turbulent years in the Premier League with Arsenal, Xhaka will be regarded by most as a familiar foe. A known quantity.

Do not be fooled, though. Xhaka is not the same player he was for much of his time in England, where he was such a divisive figure among supporters and pundits. The new Xhaka is a different Xhaka, with more maturity, composure and a greater understanding of the flows of a football match. The new Xhaka is one of the finest midfielders on the planet.

It is a transformation that truly began in the summer of 2022, at the start of Xhaka’s final – and most productive – campaign in north London. In that season, he was fundamental to Arsenal’s title charge and so consistent that Bayer Leverkusen were willing to pay more than £20 million for his services, even at the age of 30, and give him a five-year deal.

Since leaving Arsenal for Leverkusen, Xhaka’s continued evolution has been beyond all expectations. He started 32 of 34 league matches for Leverkusen last season, as Xabi Alonso’s team won the Bundesliga without losing a single game. He also won the German Cup, scoring the spectacular winning goal in the final.

Only two players in Germany’s top flight ran further than Xhaka last season, and no midfielder passed more accurately. He was the league’s dominant midfield player and his form has continued into this tournament, where he has represented the beating heart of a hugely impressive Switzerland side.

Xhaka was named man of the match in two of the three group games and has played every minute of Euro 2024 so far. He has completed more passes than any other Swiss player and, in their round-of-16 game, picked apart Italy with his precise and progressive passing. Italy were playing the game that was unfolding in front of them, while Xhaka was already playing the game that was about to unfold a few seconds later.

They say availability is the best ability and, while that is not strictly true, it is undoubtedly one of Xhaka’s finest qualities that he is always on the pitch. He has started 85 of the last 89 league matches for his clubs.

On the international stage with Switzerland, he has started each of the last 31 matches, a run dating back to November 2021. Say what you will about him – and many in England still hold strong opinions – but there is no denying that Xhaka is tough.

With Remo Freuler playing alongside Xhaka, Switzerland have something that England desperately crave: a settled, balanced, familiar midfield. Xhaka and Freuler have started together in 26 of Switzerland’s last 28 matches, and have a combined 200 international appearances between them. England’s Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo, by contrast, have started one competitive match together, ever.

With 129 international appearances, Xhaka has played more matches for Switzerland than anyone else in the country’s history. It feels somewhat typical of his career, though, that he has rarely received the love that one might expect for a player of his consistency and longevity on the international stage.

Xhaka is a straight-talking, passionate man. This directness has not always served him well, and there have been times when the emotions have taken over. The silly red cards at Arsenal did not help his image, and neither did telling the home fans to “f--- off” in a move that cost him the club captaincy.

In Switzerland, there has for years been a perception that Xhaka has not produced his best football for his country. There is also the sensitive issue of his Swiss-ness: Switzerland legend Stephane Henchoz once said that Xhaka does not represent the country, effectively because of his heritage. Xhaka was born in Switzerland but is immensely proud of his Kosovo-Albanian roots.

Xhaka’s PR cause in Switzerland was not helped by suggestions a few years ago that he could switch to play for Kosovo. When he scored for Switzerland against Serbia in the 2018 World Cup, he famously produced the “double-eagle” gesture, a pro-Albania symbol. Xhaka’s father spent more than three years as a political prisoner in Yugoslavia.

Even as recently as last year, Xhaka faced criticism in Switzerland amid strong reports that he had fallen out with manager Murat Yakin. You would not know it from their performances in Germany this summer but Switzerland struggled in the autumn, and there was tension between coach and captain.

It would be fair to say that, in many cases, Xhaka’s own actions have been the cause of the complicated episodes of his career. But it would also be fair to say that he has made a habit of coming through these challenges, emerging every time as a better footballer.

He did so at Arsenal to spectacular effect and now, as his country’s best player, has the opportunity to make himself a true hero of Swiss football. Such has been his career arc, and such is his resilience, only a fool would put it beyond him.