Xhaka admires South American mentality, sees Argentina as benchmark for Swiss team

Swiss captain Granit Xhaka has voiced his admiration for the mindset of South American football teams, citing Argentina as a prime example due to their "hunger to win." Ahead of Switzerland's World Cup quarter-final clash against Argentina, Xhaka emphasized the importance of adopting a similar winning mentality.

"I am a big fan of the Latin teams because of the mentality they have. They give everything even in training, and that is what we have to have tomorrow, we have to have a hunger to win matches, and Argentina is a good example of that," Xhaka stated during the official pre-match press conference.

Xhaka, along with Ricardo Rodríguez, is one of the few Swiss players who faced Argentina in the 2014 World Cup. While that match ended in a loss for Switzerland after extra time, Xhaka dismissed notions of revenge. "In 2014 I played my first World Cup and the match against Argentina was not the most pleasant moment. We played quite well, but we conceded the goal in the 118th minute. We should have scored ourselves, and this time I think we are going to win. This is a new generation and Swiss football has improved a lot," he asserted.

He stressed that the focus is on the present match and the team's performance. "Tomorrow, we have to perform at the highest level, and the important thing is to have the right mentality for the match. Few people are talking about Switzerland's virtues, but we all play in top leagues, and we are going to show it." Xhaka also expressed pride in reaching the quarter-finals after 72 years and praised teammate Ricardo Rodríguez for his consistent performance since 2014, calling him "very important for the team."