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“We lacked winners”: How a shift in philosophy led the Chicago Fire to sign Xherdan Shaqiri

“We lacked winners.”

Chicago Fire sporting director Georg Heitz didn’t mince words when he was asked about his philosophy regarding rebuilding the club’s roster during the off-season.

In Xherdan Shaqiri, Heitz has not only a superstar, but also a player whose roster is littered with some of the sport’s biggest championship trophies—the Premier League, the Bundesliga, and the UEFA Champions League twice, to name a few.

“To have not only Xherdan, we have other players who are winners, but Xherdan definitely has one quality: he’s a winner,” Heitz said at a news conference unveiling Shaqiri.