Granit Xhaka
#10 · Midfielder · age 33 · (C)
Captain at his fourth consecutive World Cup; Sunderland's midfield anchor after their promotion.
91
WC26 rating
- Recent form
- 58
- Career peak
- 85
- League level
- 100
- Competition pedigree
- 98
- International pedigree
- 100
- Longevity
- 65
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Xhaka has transformed from the divisive, red-card-prone version of his Arsenal years into one of European football’s most respected midfield captains. His Leverkusen title — playing essentially every minute of the unbeaten league campaign — confirmed the reinvention, and Sunderland’s high-paid recruitment of him reflects the value of having a Champions League-level captain in a newly promoted side. For Switzerland he sets tempo, takes the dead balls, and is the team’s voice in pressure moments. At 33 he is still the system, not a passenger.
Strengths
- Long-range passing
- Press resistance
- Set-piece delivery
- On-pitch leadership
Recent form
Sunderland captain in their Premier League return; Switzerland's central reference point through qualifying.
Faced his younger brother Taulant — playing for Albania — at Euro 2016, making them the first brothers to face each other on opposite sides of a major international tournament.