Riola Xhemaili was once spurned – now she saves the Swiss team

"Goddammit, we want to get to the quarterfinals," Riola Xhemaili thinks to herself a few minutes before the end of the European Championship match against Finland, when Switzerland is trailing 1-0. She later uses these exact words in the mixed zone, after the happy ending has arrived in the form of her goal. It's a typical Xhemaili moment: She always says what's on her mind. She's loud, confident, charismatic.

That Riola Xhemaili will fire Switzerland into the quarterfinals at this European Championship on home soil is logical in one way, but in another, it's far from a given. A few years ago, the Solothurn native was considered one of Switzerland's greatest talents, but then her career didn't take as long as expected. Xhemaili had to deal with various disappointments, despite being only 22 years old.

She was dropped from the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, citing physical deficiencies as the reason, said then-Swiss national coach Inka Grings. "She has to understand that she needs more," Grings said. More effort, all year round, not just shortly before an important tournament.

Even under current coach Pia Sundhage, Xhemaili wasn't always called up. The Swede explained to the player over the phone what she wanted from her: goals. The technically strong midfielder, who has played in the number 10 position for several clubs, is also a goal threat and has good intuition in front of goal.

These qualities have characterized Xhemaili throughout her career. Although she first played volleyball as a child, she began playing soccer at the age of eleven for FC Solothurn, where her twin brother Rion played. She then moved to FC Basel's youth team, the only girl.

At just 15 years old, she made her debut for the FCB Women's Super League, scoring a goal in her first game and taking on responsibility off the pitch, becoming captain. After three years, she moved to SC Freiburg, then within the Bundesliga to VfL Wolfsburg. When she didn't get as much playing time as she had hoped in her first year there, she signed a loan deal with PSV Eindhoven, with the European Championships in mind.

She's having a fantastic season with the Dutch Cup winners, who have signed her permanent contract starting next season. She enjoys the technical style of football played in the league, scoring 14 goals and providing 6 assists in 26 games this season. This has also impressed national coach Sundhage, who is enthusiastic about Xhemaili's progress and her regular goals in training in all types of games.

Shortly before the European Championship, Xhemaili reflected on her journey. "I had to perform under pressure every day, especially because I was promised talent early on," she said. "This year, I'm enjoying the fact that I can deliver when I'm given the trust. I've shown that I'm a good footballer."

Not only that, but she's also someone who leads the way when it comes to issues that concern many people in the country. It was last August when Xhemaili, whose parents are from Kosovo, spoke out in an emotional post on social media. She had experienced what the male national team players with a migrant background were also complaining about. After she said in an interview that she was from Switzerland, Xhemaili was inundated with hate mail.

She was attacked for not identifying sufficiently with the country of her roots. She responded: "I fly to Kosovo at least twice a year, I invest in the country so that I never forget where I come from and that I have a home in Kosovo that I can always visit." She showed pictures of an apartment under construction. She continued: "I am happy that I was able to grow up in such a great country as Switzerland. I love Switzerland, which is why I always wanted to show my gratitude and play for Switzerland." It was never a decision against anyone.

It was the first time she had publicly revealed what had apparently been happening to her for years. She said her family was being insulted and threatened week after week. She concluded: "We should all share the same values ​​and not spread unnecessary hatred toward people we don't know!"

It was a message that went far beyond football. And in retrospect, what she thought she already knew back then proved prophetic: "That I would make everyone in Switzerland proud, and of course also the country where my roots lie, Kosovo." She achieved that on Thursday evening, at the very latest. But her winning goal had even wider repercussions.

"Well done, girls," wrote Nils Nielsen, the former national coach, on Instagram under a photo of the happy Swiss team – adding: "... and Rio, was it worth the wait and work? I'm proud of you."

She would probably answer his questions openly in the affirmative, gopfertami.