Roger Federer: Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka pays tribute to Swiss star
ARSENAL midfielder Granit Xhaka has called Roger Federer a "legend" as he paid tribute to his Swiss compatriot.
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Xhaka and Federer both hail from the Swiss city of Basel.
Xhaka came through the academy at FC Basel and spent two seasons at his boyhood club before joining Borussia Monchengladbach.
In 2016, Xhaka moved to Arsenal where he has since made 98 appearances, scoring seven goals.
Federer is a huge FC Basel fan and could have played football as a career but opted to play tennis.
In a video posted on Arsenal's Facebook page, Xhaka talked about pictures he's posted on his Instagram account and gave his thoughts about Federer.
He said: "I've met him. A lovely guy. What an example for every footballer, tennis player, every sport I think. He's a legend.
"I've seen him play live. So quiet.
"It looks so easy for him. The only thing I say is he's a legend.
"I think not only in Switzerland, but everywhere."
Switzerland reached the round of 16 of the World Cup in the summer.
And after their exit to Sweden, Federer hit out at Xhaka and his team-mates for not performing.
He said: "I was disappointed. I expected more from the team.
"That's the thing with knockout [matches].
"You have to bring it like it was the finals every match, it's 11 guys at the same time.
"It can't just be three guys, eight guys. It needs to be everybody at the same time doing the same thing.
"I felt it's an opportunity missed. We didn't create enough chances. We deserved what we got."