Julian Draxler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Julian Draxler

Draxler playing for Germany in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	(1993-09-20) 20 September 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Gladbeck, Germany
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder, winger
Club information
Current club	Al Ahli
Number	7
Youth career
1998–2000	BV Rentfort
2000–2001	SSV Buer 07/28
2001–2011	Schalke 04
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2011–2015	Schalke 04	119	(18)
2015–2017	VfL Wolfsburg	34	(5)
2017–2023	Paris Saint-Germain	131	(17)
2022–2023	→ Benfica (loan)	10	(1)
2023–	Al Ahli	21	(13)
National team‡
2010–2011	Germany U18	8	(1)
2011	Germany U19	2	(1)
2011	Germany U21	1	(1)
2012–2022	Germany	58	(7)
Honours Men's football Representing  Germany FIFA World Cup Winner 2014 Brazil FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2017 Russia
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:44, 16 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:34, 29 March 2022 (UTC)

Julian Draxler (born on September 20, 1993) is a German professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al Ahli. He also plays for the German national team.

Julian Draxler started his professional career at a young age. He made his first appearance in the Bundesliga for Schalke 04 when he was just 17 years old in January 2011. Later that year, he scored the first goal in the 2011 DFB-Pokal final, helping his team win the DFB-Pokal cup. He played 171 games for Schalke and scored 30 goals. In 2015, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg. In January 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

Draxler has played over 50 games for the German national team since 2012. He was part of the team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also helped Germany reach the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016. As captain, he led the team to win the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was even named the best player of that tournament, winning the Golden Ball award.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Schalke 04

Julian Draxler played his first Bundesliga game on January 15, 2011. This was a match against Hamburger SV which Schalke lost 0–1. At that time, he was one of the youngest players ever to play in the Bundesliga. He was also the youngest player in Schalke's history. Just one week later, he became the second-youngest field player to start a Bundesliga match. This happened in Schalke's 1–0 win against Hannover 96.

On January 25, 2011, Draxler came into a cup game as a substitute. This was a DFB-Pokal quarter-final match against 1. FC Nürnberg. He scored his first goal for Schalke 04 in the last moments of extra time. This goal secured a 3–2 win for his club. He scored his first Bundesliga goal on April 1, 2011, against FC St. Pauli. Draxler scored the first goal in Schalke's 2011 DFB-Pokal final victory over MSV Duisburg. He volleyed the ball from outside the penalty area. Schalke went on to score five goals without reply. He finished the 2010–11 season with one goal in 15 league games. He also scored two goals in three DFB-Pokal games and played in six UEFA Champions League matches.

In the 2011–12 season, Draxler helped Schalke finish third in the Bundesliga. This meant they qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. He played in 30 out of 34 Bundesliga games. He mostly played on the left side of the midfield. He also scored one goal in two DFB-Pokal games. He scored two goals in the UEFA Europa League.

Draxler training for Schalke 04 in 2015

The next season, Draxler continued to be a key player. He scored goals against teams like Greuther Fürth and Werder Bremen. He also scored twice in a 4–1 win against VfL Wolfsburg. Draxler became Schalke's youngest player to play 100 competitive games. This happened when he scored in a 2–1 win over rivals Borussia Dortmund. On May 3, he scored the only goal in Schalke's 1–0 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Draxler finished the 2012–13 season as Schalke's joint top scorer in the Bundesliga with ten goals. He also scored two goals in three DFB-Pokal games and one goal in six UEFA Champions League matches.

In May 2013, Draxler extended his contract with Schalke until June 2018. On October 2, 2013, Draxler scored in a 1–0 away win against Basel in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League. This win put Schalke 04 at the top of their group. In the last game of the Champions League group stage, Draxler scored the first goal for Schalke. They won 2–0 against Basel, which helped them move to the knockout stage. He finished the 2013–14 season with two goals in 26 Bundesliga games. He also played two DFB-Pokal games and scored four goals in ten Champions League games.

He scored two goals in 19 games in all competitions in the next season.

On July 27, 2015, Schalke turned down an offer of €15 million from Juventus. Draxler then signed for VfL Wolfsburg on August 31, 2015. His last game for Schalke was a 3–0 loss to Wolfsburg. He finished his 2015–16 time at Schalke with one goal in three Bundesliga games.

Time at VfL Wolfsburg

On August 31, 2015, Draxler joined VfL Wolfsburg. He signed a five-year contract. The transfer fee was reported to be €36 million. He scored his first goal for Wolfsburg on September 15, 2015. This was in a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow. It was his first game in the Champions League for the club. On October 31, he scored his first Bundesliga goal for Wolfsburg. He came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen.

In the knockout stage of the 2015–16 Champions League, Draxler scored two goals. This was in a 3–2 away win against Gent in the first game. On March 8, in the second game at the Volkswagen Arena, he helped André Schürrle score the only goal. This helped Wolfsburg reach the quarter-finals for the first time. He finished the 2015–16 season with 8 goals and 7 assists in 28 games.

Before the 2016–17 season, Draxler said he wanted to leave VfL Wolfsburg. He said the club would let him go if they received a good offer. Even though teams like Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain were interested, Draxler could not move during the summer. When he returned to the Wolfsburg team, fans booed him loudly. He later said the next four months were "the worst first half of a season of my career."

Moving to Paris Saint-Germain

On December 24, 2016, VfL Wolfsburg announced that Draxler would join Paris Saint-Germain. He signed a four-year contract for a reported fee of €42 million. The transfer was officially completed on January 3, 2017.

On January 7, Draxler played his first game for PSG. This was a Coupe de France match against Bastia at the Parc des Princes. He scored the last goal in a 7–0 win in the 89th minute. He was assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa. Draxler played his first Ligue 1 game seven days later. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Rennes. On February 1, he scored two goals against the same team in the Coupe de France. This brought his total to four goals in five games in French football.

Draxler in action with PSG during a friendly match against Dynamo Dresden in 2019

On February 14, Draxler scored in his first Champions League game for PSG. This was a 4–0 home win over Barcelona in the round of 16. On February 26, he scored after coming on as a substitute. This was in PSG's 5–1 win against rivals Marseille. On April 1, Draxler scored the first goal in PSG's 4–1 win over Monaco in the 2017 Coupe de la Ligue final.

Between 2018 and 2020, Draxler won many titles with PSG. He won three Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de France titles, and three Coupe de la Ligue titles. He also played in the 2020 UEFA Champions League final. PSG lost that game 1–0 against Bayern Munich.

Draxler scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 1–0 win against Metz on September 16, 2020. This was his first goal since the 2018–19 season. On October 24, he got a hamstring injury in a 4–0 win against Dijon. He returned to play on December 16 in a 2–0 win over Lorient. In May 2021, he extended his contract with PSG until 2024.

Loan to Benfica

Draxler joined Benfica on a loan for one season. This happened on September 1, 2022. The loan fee was reported to be €2.5 million. He played his first Primeira Liga game nine days later. Benfica won 1–0 away against Famalicão. He scored his first goal on September 18. This was in a 5–0 home win over Marítimo.

Joining Al Ahli

On September 16, 2023, Draxler arrived in Doha. He went there to complete his transfer to Qatar Stars League club Al Ahli. Two days later, he signed a two-year contract with the club.

International Career for Germany

Draxler with Germany in June 2019

On August 9, 2011, Draxler scored in his first game for the Germany under-21 team. This was a 4–1 win over Cyprus.

On May 7, 2012, he was one of two new players called up for the main German national team for UEFA Euro 2012. On May 26, 2012, he played his first game for the senior team. Germany lost 5–3 to Switzerland. Draxler came on as a substitute in the 62nd minute. His first goal for the national team was on June 2, 2013. This was in a friendly game against the United States. He scored in the 81st minute, making the score 3–4.

Draxler was captain for Germany in a friendly game against Poland on May 13, 2014. The game ended 0–0. Seven of his teammates were playing their first game for Germany in that match.

In June 2014, Draxler was chosen for Germany's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game as a substitute in the semi-final. Germany won 7–1 against Brazil. On July 13, he was a substitute when Germany beat Argentina to win their fourth World Cup.

Draxler played only two games for Germany during the Euro 2016 qualifying matches. However, he started on the left side of Germany's attack in four of their six games at the Euro 2016 finals. He also came on as a substitute against Italy in the quarter-final. He scored his penalty kick in the 6–5 penalty shootout win. He was named the best player of the match for his performance against Slovakia. He helped set up Mario Gómez's second goal and then scored the third goal himself in a 3–0 win.

Draxler was named captain of a young German team for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored a penalty kick in the team's first game. Germany won 3–2 against Australia. After Germany won the tournament, Draxler received the Golden Ball award. This award is given to the best player of the tournament.

On June 4, 2018, Germany's manager Joachim Löw included Draxler in his final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On June 17, Draxler played in their first match against Mexico. Germany lost that game 1–0. He then played in a 2–1 win over Sweden. However, Germany finished last in their group after losing 2–0 to South Korea. They were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage.

Later, Draxler was not included in Germany's squad for Euro 2020.

How Julian Draxler Plays

Julian Draxler can use both his feet well. He is known for his speed and how strong he is when playing against one opponent. He usually plays as a left winger. But he can also play as a right winger or as an attacking midfielder. When he was in the youth team at Schalke 04, he mostly played as an attacking midfielder. He always felt most comfortable in that position. Draxler is also known for having a very powerful shot.

In January 2014, The Observer newspaper named Draxler as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe.

FIFA's official website describes Draxler as "tall, fast, with a keen eye for goal." They also say he is "an exceptional talent in one-on-one situations from his regular position as a left-sided attacking midfielder."

Personal Life

Julian Draxler was born in Gladbeck, Germany. He went to the Heisenberg-Gymnasium in Gladbeck. Later, he changed to Gesamtschule Berger Feld in 2011. When he was a child, he often went with his father to watch Schalke 04's home games. He has been a fan of the club ever since.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

As of match played 7 October 2020. Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Julian Draxler

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2 June 2013	RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States	United States	3–4	3–4	Friendly
2	26 June 2016	Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France	Slovakia	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2016
3	11 October 2016	HDI Arena, Hanover, Germany	Northern Ireland	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	10 June 2017	Stadion Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany	San Marino	1–0	7–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	19 June 2017	Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia	Australia	2–1	3–2	2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
6	4 September 2017	Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart, Germany	Norway	2–0	6–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	7 October 2020	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany	Turkey	1–0	3–3	Friendly

Honours and Awards

Schalke 04

• DFB-Pokal: 2010–11
• DFL-Supercup: 2011

Paris Saint-Germain

• Ligue 1: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
• Coupe de France: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
• Trophée des Champions: 2017, 2020
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2022–23

Germany

• FIFA World Cup: 2014
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2017

Individual Awards

• Fritz Walter Medal U18 Gold: 2011
• Sportschau Goal of the Year Award: 2013 (shared with Raúl)
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2013–14
• Bundesliga Young Player of the Year: 2013–14
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2017

See also

In Spanish: Julian Draxler para niños