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Ardon Jashari has been a Swiss international since Tuesday. Comparisons with Granit Xhaka honor the young FCL captain.
On Tuesday the time had come: In the 93rd minute, Ardon Jashari came on for Remo Freuler in the Nations League game against the Czech Republic. The national baptism of fire ended a little later. He will hang up the rainy jersey in the children’s room as soon as he has found a suitable frame for it.
Jashari’s debut almost failed at the beginning. The call from national team coach Murat Yakin, who wanted to tell him that Noah Okafor had been nominated, initially came to nothing. Only a call back revealed who owned the unknown number that had lit up on the cellphone display late at night.
The idea of soon being on the pitch with the players who served as role models not so long ago was a stirring feeling even for the calm Jashari: “The anticipation was huge, but so was the nervousness.” He, who always followed the big tournaments with the whole family and celebrated victories by honking their horns, was suddenly part of this team.
Meteoric rise
A year ago, the name Jashari was probably only known to die-hard FCL fans. The 1.81 meter tall midfielder was part of the U21 team and was called up to the first team in January 2022 by newly hired coach Mario Frick. Impressed by the performance in the pre-season, Frick allowed the youngster to play from the start in the second half of the season against Basel. Since then, Jashari has been an integral part of the starting XI for the Lucerne team.
Since this season, the 20-year-old has been part of the three-man captain team, he has worn the armband in four games so far. The role is not entirely new to him: even in the second half – at that time without the captain’s armband – he was said to have raised his voice in the dressing room after poor performances.
To have a career like Xhaka would be a dream.
It may come as a surprise that seasoned football players over 30 let a youngster like Jashari fiddle their opinions with them. “When I sit at the table with players of that age, they quickly realize that I’m a mature person. That’s how the players know me.” He likes to take responsibility, but still sees himself on the same level as all the other players.
World Cup debut at 20
Jashari’s maturity and leadership qualities on the pitch inevitably conjure up memories of Granit Xhaka. Comparisons with the national captain honor the native of Zug: “That makes me incredibly proud. But I have to stay on the ground and continue to perform.” There is still a lot of potential for development and room for improvement, but “following a career path like Xhaka would be a dream”.
Participating in the World Cup in Qatar would also be a realistic dream. Jashari doesn’t think too much about this: “I’ll try to perform at the FCL. Then it’s up to Yakin to take me with him.” Should the national coach count on the FCL top performer, he would already have one advantage over Xhaka. The Arsenal mercenary was “already” 22 years old when he made his World Cup debut.
For the time being, Jashari is back in the local Super League. On Sunday Leader YB is a guest in central Switzerland.
At the FCL, people rave about Jashari