Axel Witsel facts for kids
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Witsel celebrating the bronze medal with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 January 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Liège, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder, centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Atlético Madrid | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 20 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | RRC Vottem | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | CS Visé | |||||||||||||||
| 1999–2006 | Standard Liège | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2011 | Standard Liège | 148 | (33) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Benfica | 32 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 122 | (16) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Tianjin Quanjian | 36 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Borussia Dortmund | 105 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| 2022– | Atlético Madrid | 79 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | Belgium U16 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Belgium U17 | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Belgium U18 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Belgium U19 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Belgium U21 | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008– | Belgium | 132 | (12) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel (born 12 January 1989) is a Belgian professional footballer. He plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. He also plays for the Belgium national team. When he started his career, he also played in more attacking roles.
Witsel began his career at his hometown club Standard Liège. He played 183 games and scored 42 goals there. He won five trophies with them. In 2008, he was given the Belgian Golden Shoe award. After playing one season in Portugal with Benfica, he joined Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia in 2012. Witsel won four awards during his time in Russia. He then moved to Tianjin Quanjian in China in 2017. He returned to Europe with Borussia Dortmund in Germany in 2018. With Borussia Dortmund, Witsel won the 2019 DFL-Supercup and the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal.
Witsel first played for the senior national team in 2008. He played his 100th game for Belgium on 15 November 2018. He has played for his country in the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He also played in the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020, and 2024. He helped Belgium finish third in the 2018 World Cup.
Contents
Axel Witsel's Club Journey
Starting at Standard Liège
Axel Witsel started his professional football career at Standard Liège. He was just 17 years old when he made his first appearance on 17 September 2006. He came on as a substitute in a game against FC Brussels. A few days later, he also played his first European game.
In the 2007–08 season, Witsel was 18. He became a very important player for Standard Liège. They won the Belgian League title that year. He played in midfield with other young Belgian talents like Steven Defour and Marouane Fellaini. The next season, he scored the winning goal from a penalty kick. This goal helped his team win the championship again.
Moving to Benfica
On 13 July 2011, Witsel signed a five-year contract with the Portuguese club Benfica. He scored two goals in a Champions League play-off game against FC Twente. This helped Benfica reach the group stages of the competition.
He scored the first goal in a big 4–1 win against Vitória de Guimarães in the Taça da Liga. Witsel also helped Benfica win the Taça da Liga final on 14 April. He was named the best player of the match.
Playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg
On 3 September 2012, Witsel joined Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. He signed a five-year contract. He made his first appearance in the Russian Premier League on 14 September. He scored his first two goals for Zenit on 30 November against Spartak Moscow.
In the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, Witsel scored a goal against his old club Benfica. Zenit then played in the Europa League. Witsel scored in a match against Torino. On 17 May, Zenit drew 1–1 with FC Ufa. This draw was enough for them to win the Premier League title. It was Witsel's first league title with Zenit.
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In the 2015 Russian Super Cup on 12 July 2015, Witsel scored in the penalty shootout. Zenit won the Super Cup after the game ended 1–1.
Time in China with Tianjin Quanjian
On 3 January 2017, Witsel moved to the Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian. He made his debut on 4 March 2017. A week later, he scored the club's first ever goal in the Chinese Super League.
Returning to Europe with Borussia Dortmund
On 6 August 2018, Witsel signed a four-year contract with the German club Borussia Dortmund. He scored an equalizing goal in his first game for the club. This was in a cup match against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. His team went on to win the game in extra time. Witsel scored his first league goal for Dortmund with a cool overhead kick. This happened in a 4–1 win over RB Leipzig.
Joining Atlético Madrid
On 7 July 2022, Atlético Madrid in Spain announced that Witsel had joined them. He signed a one-year contract after his deal with Borussia Dortmund ended. Under coach Diego Simeone, Witsel started playing as a defender. He usually plays in the middle of a three-man defense. On 13 June 2024, he extended his contract with Atlético Madrid until 2025.
Axel Witsel's International Career
Before playing for the senior national team, Witsel played for the Belgium under-21 team. He played nine games for them in 2007. He helped them reach the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
On 26 March 2008, Witsel played his first game for the senior Belgium squad. It was a friendly game against Morocco. Belgium lost the match, but Witsel scored his first goal for his country.
Witsel scored his first goals in a competitive international match on 25 March 2011. He scored twice against Austria in a qualifying game for UEFA Euro 2012.
On 13 May 2014, Witsel was chosen for Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in midfield in their first game, which they won 2–1 against Algeria.
Witsel was also part of the Belgian team at UEFA Euro 2016. He scored his first goal in a major tournament during the Championships. This was in a group game against the Republic of Ireland.
He scored two goals in the qualifying games for the 2018 World Cup. Both goals came in big wins against Gibraltar. Manager Roberto Martínez picked him for the final tournament in Russia. Witsel was also in the Belgian squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The team did not perform well and did not make it out of the group stage.
On 12 May 2023, Witsel announced he was retiring from the national team. He had played 130 games for Belgium. However, Witsel later changed his mind. On 28 May 2024, he was included in Belgium's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
Axel Witsel's Personal Life
Axel Witsel has three children. His father is from Martinique, which means Axel has Martiniquais family roots. When he was a boy, he was a fan of the English football club Arsenal.
Axel Witsel's Career Highlights
Axel Witsel has had a long and successful career playing for many top clubs and his national team. Here are some of his main achievements:
- He played 148 league games for Standard Liège, scoring 33 goals.
- For Benfica, he played 32 league games and scored 1 goal.
- At Zenit Saint Petersburg, he played 122 league games, scoring 16 goals.
- He played 36 league games for Tianjin Quanjian, scoring 5 goals.
- With Borussia Dortmund, he played 105 league games and scored 10 goals.
- For Atlético Madrid, he has played 79 league games and scored 2 goals so far.
- Overall, he has played over 500 league games and scored more than 60 goals.
- For the Belgium national team, he has played 132 games and scored 12 goals.
Honours and Awards
Axel Witsel has won many trophies and individual awards throughout his career:
Standard Liège
- Belgian Pro League: 2007–08, 2008–09
- Belgian Cup: 2010–11
- Belgian Supercup: 2008, 2009
Benfica
- Taça da Liga: 2011–12
Zenit
- Russian Football Premier League: 2014–15
- Russian Cup: 2015–16
- Russian Super Cup: 2015
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2020–21
- DFL-Supercup: 2019
Belgium
Individual Awards
- Belgian Young Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
- Belgian Golden Shoe: 2008
- O Jogo Team of the Year: 2012
Images for kids
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Witsel in UEFA Europa League action for Zenit, facing Dundalk in 2016
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Witsel warming up on international duty, 2017
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See Also
In Spanish: Axel Witsel para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
