Arsenal made a tough decision to part ways with Granit Xhaka last year, and the midfielder has since thrived across all competitions.

Xhaka was integral as Bayer Leverkusen completed an unbeaten domestic double, with a historic Bundesliga title win, and he has become one of the best midfielders in the world.

The 31-year-old had one year left on his contract when he departed Arsenal last year, with Mikel Arteta granting him an exit after an outstanding final season in North London.

Xhaka shone in Germany and he has now shone again on the International stage. After picking up two player of the match awards in the Euro 2024 group stage, he was again outstanding as Switzerland knocked Italy out in a historic result.

Former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka delivered outstanding display as Switzerland beat Italy

Xhaka delivered a masterclass in midfield, helping Switzerland press high against Italy, who struggled to get out of their own half at times.

The midfielder won all of his aerial duels as no one could get past him, won possession four times to frustrate Italy, and created three chances for his teammates, more than anyone else in the whole game.

Xhaka yet again showed real leadership in the middle of the park, leading his team to the quarter-finals of the tournament, and this could pit him against Bukayo Saka, who praised the Leverkusen star ahead of the round of 16.

Granit Xhaka praised for excellent display in Euro 2024 victory

BBC pundits were impressed by Xhaka, with former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer claiming that he “bossed the midfield.”

Rio Ferdinand also called Xhaka a “leader,” and pointed out that his Leverkusen campaign may have spurred the Swiss captain on to continue delivering excellence on the big stage.

“At Arsenal, he showed glimpses of this, but with Bayer Leverkusen and now Switzerland, he showed real maturity. He breaks the lines and finds the passes. He makes the right decisions 99% of the time. There was a real dominance in his performance, he’s a leader in this team and you can see that in every part of his game right now,” he stated after the game.

Xhaka has performed well in several tournaments for Switzerland, and will hope to reach the semi-finals for the first time.

He has lost just two matches for club and country since leaving Arsenal, and he has been one of Europe’s top performers in his position.

With Arsenal wanting to add to their midfield this summer, there may be some regret for Arteta that Xhaka was allowed to leave so easily, but his move to Leverkusen was perhaps at the right time for him to thrive in a new team, with Declan Rice also performing superbly for Arsenal.

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