From Arsenal jeers to Swiss tears: Xhaka's redemption

Granit Xhaka is captaining Switzerland at this World Cup [AFP via Getty Images] When Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Granit Xhaka dropped to his knees and cried tears of joy. The midfielder encapsulated the battling spirit the Swiss showed to overcome a loud and dominant Colombian crowd at the Vancouver Stadium on Tuesday to reach the last eight of the tournament for the first time since 1954. However, it was also another chapter in Xhaka's remarkable resurgence, having gone from a derided figure at Arsenal to a player pivotal for both Switzerland and current club Sunderland, as well as attracting interest from sides like Chelsea. From booed at Arsenal to Premier League star Xhaka is now one of the most influential players in the Premier League but just seven years ago it looked like his career in the English top flight was over. Then at Arsenal, supporters had grown frustrated with some of his poor performances and he sometimes found himself the target of boos. Those jeers eventually became too much for Xhaka and after he was jeered as he was substituted during a draw with Crystal Palace in October 2019, he taunted his own fans by cupping his ears. Then manager Unai Emery stripped Xhaka of the club's captaincy and his departure seemed only a matter of time. But Xhaka dug in and instead turned things around superbly after Emery had been replaced by Mikel Arteta, winning back the support of the fans with his leadership and combative displays, reclaiming the armband to captain Arsenal to FA Cup victory in 2020. "You could always hear him," Theo Walcott, a team-mate of Xhaka's at Arsenal, said previously on Match of the Day. "No matter where you were in the training ground you could hear him speaking to someone - if it is a member of staff, a younger player or more experienced player and he was like that on day one." A move to Bayer Leverkusen followed where he helped the German club go unbeaten on their way to a league and cup double, before returning to the Premier League last summer with newly-promoted Sunderland. There he played a pivotal role in helping the Black Cats to not just avoid an immediate return to the Championship but instead surprise all by finishing seventh to secure a place in the Europa League for the coming season. "Going away to Germany really helped," added Walcott. "It really enhanced his levels of leadership." His displays caught the attention of Chelsea in the summer, but rather than move to a club that is more likely to challenge the Champions League places next term he instead re-affirmed his commitment to Sunderland. "He's the most influential signing in the North East since Kevin Keegan at Newcastle in 1982," North East football journalist Ian Murtagh told BBC Radio Newcastle. "I'm not saying necessarily the best, but in terms of influence, in terms of driving up the standards, in terms of communicating with his team-mates, I think there are huge similarities between the two - even though they're 40 years apart." How far can Switzerland and Xhaka go? Xhaka has 151 caps for Switzerland [AFP via Getty Images] Switzerland have already surpassed expectations to reach the quarter-finals with their performances. After the Colombia win, Swiss President Guy Parmelin congratulated the team for their historic result and said they had taken the "first step towards the final". Swiss newspapers also hailed the achievement with Le Temps saying reaching the quarter-finals would "strengthen the unity and confidence of a group that continues to improve", while the Neue Zurcher Zeitung said they were having their best World Cup in history. Xhaka's role in this run has been key. After starting with a disappointing draw against Qatar, Switzerland followed it up with a victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina in their second group game. The winner came in stoppage time, with Xhaka stepping up to score a high-pressure penalty, becoming just the second player to score at three World Cups after Xherdan Shaqiri. Next up for Switzerland is a tough test against Argentina. However, the Swiss can take confidence from how close Egypt came to upsetting the reigning champions, having led 2-0 with 12 minutes to go before three late goals sent Argentina through. "I think this generation we have now is a special one," Xhaka said. "We've been waiting a long time for a group like this. "We [older players] try to pass on our experience, and we have the mentality that, even as a small nation, anything is possible at this level." When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sport How to watch the World Cup on the BBC and ITV