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Axel Witsel

May 19, 2023

Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel (born 12 January 1989) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back[4] for La Liga club Atlético Madrid. Witsel broke into Belgium's first team as a right-winger, and can also play attacking midfielder, though his natural position is as a central midfielder.

Axel Witsel
Witsel celebrating the bronze medal with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel[1]
Date of birth (1989-01-12) 12 January 1989 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Liège, Belgium
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder ∙ Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 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)
2012–2016 Zenit Saint Petersburg 122 (16)
2017–2018 Tianjin Quanjian 36 (5)
2018–2022 Borussia Dortmund 105 (10)
2022– Atlético Madrid 29 (0)
International career
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)
2008–2022 Belgium 130 (12)
Honours
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:34, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

He began his career at hometown club Standard Liège, making 183 appearances and scoring 42 goals while winning five domestic trophies. He was awarded the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2008. After a season in Portugal with Benfica, he signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg for a €40 million fee in 2012. Witsel won four honours during his time in Russia, before leaving for Tianjin Quanjian in January 2017. He returned to Europe with Borussia Dortmund in August 2018. With the Bundesliga side, Witsel won the 2019 DFL-Supercup and the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal.

Witsel made his senior international debut in 2008 and earned his 100th cap for Belgium on 15 November 2018. He represented the country at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020, helping them to third place in the 2018 tournament.

Club career

Standard Liège

On 17 September 2006, a 17-year-old Witsel made his debut with Standard Liège during a competitive game against FC Brussels when he replaced Steven Defour in the 89th minute. Eleven days later, he made his European debut as a substitute.[citation needed]

During the 2007–08 season, at 18 years of age, he was a key member in the squad of Standard Liège, winners of the Belgian League title that year. During this year, he formed a very young midfield together with other Belgian talents Defour and Marouane Fellaini. In the following season, he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in a two-legged playoff to decide the championship.[citation needed]

On 30 August 2009, Witsel sparked controversy when he broke Marcin Wasilewski's leg by stamping on his ankle during the match between Anderlecht and Standard.[5][6] Following the tackle, Witsel protested the red card, claiming that it was an accident without intent, before being sent off the pitch. He soon apologised, but was the subject of criticism from several media outlets and numerous death threats from angry Anderlecht and Poland fans.[7] The initial ban until 23 November by the Belgian Football Association,[8] was later reduced on appeal to eight matches.[9]

Benfica

Witsel signed for Portuguese club Benfica on a five-year deal on 13 July 2011, including a €40 million buyout clause.[10] Witsel scored twice in the 3–1 win against FC Twente, in the Champions League play-off second leg, on 24 August 2011, sending Benfica to the group stages with a 5–3 aggregate victory.[11]

 
Witsel playing for Benfica against Zenit in 2012

He scored the opening goal in a 4–1 thrashing of Vitória de Guimarães in the Taça da Liga on 9 January 2012.[12] He then assisted Nolito in a 4–1 league defeat of Vitória de Setúbal. Witsel scored his fourth goal against Santa Clara on 18 January in a Taça da Liga match.[13] Benfica reached the final on 14 April against Gil Vicente and Witsel was awarded the Man of the Match award as Benfica claimed their fourth Taça da Liga title with a 2–1 victory.[14]

Zenit Saint Petersburg

On 3 September 2012, Witsel signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg for €40 million, after signing a five-year contract.[15][16] Witsel made his debut in the Russian Premier League on 14 September, replacing Konstantin Zyryanov in the 70th minute as Zenit fell 2–0 to Terek Grozny.[17] He scored his first two goals for the club on 30 November when Zenit brushed aside Spartak Moscow 4–2 at the Luzhniki Stadium.[18] Witsel scored Zenit's winner against Terek Grozny on 30 March 2013, an eighth-minute strike, as his side cruised to a 3–0 league victory.[19]

In Zenit's first match of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage on 16 September 2014, Witsel scored Zenit's second goal in a 2–0 away victory over former club Benfica.[20] After finishing third in their Champions League group, Zenit were parachuted into the Europa League knockout phase; in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash against Torino on 12 March 2015, Witsel scored on a rebound as Zenit defeated the Italian club 2–0.[21] On 26 April, Witsel scored the game's only goal in the seventeenth minute as Zenit defeated Arsenal Tula in a league match at the Petrovsky Stadium.[22] On Sunday 17 May, Witsel played the full 90 minutes as Zenit drew 1–1 with FC Ufa, earning the point they needed to secure the Premier League crown, the club's fourth overall and Witsel's first with Zenit.[23]

 
Witsel playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg against Dundalk in 2016

In the 2015 Russian Super Cup on 12 July 2015, Witsel converted his penalty shot in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory over FC Lokomotiv Moscow after the match had finished 1–1.[24]

Tianjin Quanjian

On 3 January 2017, Zenit officially announced that Witsel has moved to Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian.[25]

On 4 March 2017, Witsel made his debut for Quanjian in a 2–0 loss to Guangzhou R&F.[26] A week later he scored the club's first ever goal in the Chinese Super League during a 1–1 draw with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.[27]

Borussia Dortmund

 
Witsel playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021

On 6 August 2018, Witsel signed for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and agreed a four-year contract which would last until 30 June 2022.[28][29] On 21 August, he scored an equalizing goal in the stoppage time to make it 1–1 after coming on as a substitute on his debut for the club against SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the DFB-Pokal first round match and later his side went on to win the match in the extra time with a 2-1 victory.[30] Witsel scored his first Bundesliga goal on his league debut for the club with an overhead kick in a 4–1 victory over RB Leipzig on 26 August.[31]

Atletico Madrid

On 7 July 2022, Atlético Madrid officially announced that Witsel had signed for the club on a one year contract via a free transfer after his contract with Borussia Dortmund expired.[32] Under manager Diego Simeone, Witsel began to play as a defender in the middle of a back three in the 5–3–2 formation.[33][34]

International career

Prior to making his international debut for the senior side, Witsel played for the under-21 side in 2007, earning nine caps as well as helping his side reach the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

On 26 March 2008, Witsel made his senior international debut for Belgium during a friendly game against Morocco. The match resulted in a 1–4 loss, but Witsel scored his first goal.[35]

 
Witsel lining up for Belgium before playing Austria in the qualification for UEFA Euro 2012

Witsel's first goal in a competitive international match came a day short of three years after the Morocco goal, in the sixth minute against Austria in Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying process, and his second would come in the second half.[36] However, Belgian hopes of qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 were dashed on 11 October 2011, by defeat to Germany coupled with Turkey's victory over Azerbaijan.[37]

On 13 May 2014, Witsel was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[38] He started in midfield in the team's first game of the tournament, a 2–1 win against Algeria in Belo Horizonte.[39]

Witsel also featured in the Belgian squad at UEFA Euro 2016, announced on 31 May 2016.[40] He scored his first tournament goal during the Championships, in a Group E match against the Republic of Ireland.[41]

 
Axel Witsel playing for Belgium during the 2018 FIFA World Cup

He scored twice in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, both in wide victories over Gibraltar.[42] Manager Roberto Martínez named him in the squad for the final tournament in Russia.[43] Witsel was part of the Belgian squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the team performed badly, failing to make it out of the group stage. On 17 March 2023, new Belgian coach Domenico Tedesco dropped Witsel from the squad for European Championship qualifying games, citing the player's lack of playing time.[44]

On 12 May 2023, Witsel announced his retirement from the national team on Instagram, having made 130 appearances for Belgium.[45]

Personal life

Witsel has three children.[46][47] He is of Martiniquais descent through his father.[48][49] He was a boyhood Arsenal fan.[50]

Career statistics

Club

 
Witsel in UEFA Europa League action for Zenit, facing Dundalk in 2016
As of match played 14 May 2023[51]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Standard Liège 2006–07 Belgian Pro League 16 2 — — 1 0 — 17 2
2007–08 Belgian Pro League 33 7 — — 3 1 — 36 8
2008–09 Belgian Pro League 35 8 — — 10 1 1 0 46 9
2009–10 Belgian Pro League 27 6 1 1 — 12 3 1 1 41 11
2010–11 Belgian Pro League 37 10 6 2 — — — 43 12
Total 148 33 7 3 — 26 5 2 1 183 42
Benfica 2011–12 Primeira Liga 29 1 1 0 4 2 14 2 — 49 5
2012–13 Primeira Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 — — 3 0
Total 32 1 1 0 4 2 14 2 — 52 5
Zenit Saint Petersburg 2012–13 Russian Premier League 19 4 3 0 — 9 1 — 31 5
2013–14 Russian Premier League 30 4 1 0 — 11 0 1 0 43 4
2014–15 Russian Premier League 28 4 1 0 — 13 2 — 42 6
2015–16 Russian Premier League 29 3 4 2 — 7 1 1 0 41 6
2016–17 Russian Premier League 16 1 1 0 — 6 0 0 0 23 1
Total 122 16 10 2 — 46 4 2 0 180 22
Tianjin Quanjian 2017 Chinese Super League 27 4 2 0 — — — 29 4
2018 Chinese Super League 9 1 1 1 — 8 0 — 18 2
Total 36 5 3 1 — 8 0 — 47 6
Borussia Dortmund 2018–19 Bundesliga 33 4 3 1 — 7 1 — 43 6
2019–20 Bundesliga 28 4 3 0 — 7 0 1 0 39 4
2020–21 Bundesliga 15 0 2 0 — 5 1 0 0 22 1
2021–22 Bundesliga 29 2 3 0 — 8 0 1 0 41 2
Total 105 10 11 1 — 27 2 2 0 145 13
Atlético Madrid 2022–23 La Liga 29 0 4 0 — 6 0 — 39 0
Career total 471 65 36 7 4 2 127 13 6 1 645 88
 
Witsel warming up on international duty, 2017

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[52]
National team Year Apps Goals
Belgium 2008 7 1
2009 3 1
2010 5 0
2011 11 3
2012 9 0
2013 10 0
2014 11 1
2015 9 0
2016 15 2
2017 7 1
2018 13 0
2019 5 0
2020 5 1
2021 10 1
2022 10 1
Total 130 12
Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Witsel goal.[52]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 26 March 2008 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium 1   Morocco 1–2 1–4 Friendly [35]
2 17 November 2009 Stade Louis Dugauguez, Sedan, France 10   Qatar 1–0 2–0 Friendly [53]
3 9 February 2011 Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent, Belgium 16   Finland 1–0 1–1 Friendly [54]
4 25 March 2011 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 17   Austria 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualification [36]
5 2–0
6 4 September 2014 Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium 52   Australia 2–0 2–0 Friendly [55]
7 18 June 2016 Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France 69   Republic of Ireland 2–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2016 [41]
8 10 October 2016 Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal 76   Gibraltar 2–0 6–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification [56]
9 31 August 2017 Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège, Belgium 81   Gibraltar 3–0 9–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification [56]
10 8 September 2020 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium 107   Iceland 1–1 5–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A [57]
11 2 September 2021 Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 115   Estonia 4–1 5–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification [58]
12 8 June 2022 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium 122   Poland 1–1 6–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A [59]

Honours

Standard Liège[51]

Benfica

Zenit

Borussia Dortmund

Belgium

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ [Disciplinary board] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 23 March 2012. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2016.
  2. ^ (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Axel Witsel". Eurosport. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  4. ^ Barlow, Ruairidh (22 September 2022). "Axel Witsel makes thoughts clear to Diego Simeone over position change". Football Espana. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  5. ^ . Sporza. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  6. ^ "Anderlecht-Standard faute d'Axel Witsel sur Wasilewski". YouTube. Retrieved 31 August 2009.[dead YouTube link]
  7. ^ . 1 September 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel banned for horror tackle". MirrorFootball. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Yahoo UK & Ireland – Sports News – Live Scores – Results". Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Benfica sign Witsel". ESPNFC. 14 July 2011.
  11. ^ "Witsel delivers as Benfica oust Twente". UEFA. 24 August 2011.
  12. ^ . LPFP. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  13. ^ . LPFP. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Witsel foi o Man of The Match". LPFP. 15 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Официальный сайт ФК "Зенит"". Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). CMVM. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  17. ^ "Zenit 0 – 2 Terek Grozny". ESPNFC. 14 September 2012.
  18. ^ "Spartak Moscow 2 – 4 Zenit St Petersburg". ESPNFC. 30 November 2012.
  19. ^ "Terek Grozny 0–3 Zenit St. Petersburg". ESPNFC. 30 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Familiar Zenit faces come back to haunt Benfica". UEFA. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  21. ^ "Zenit ease to victory over ten-man Torino". UEFA. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  22. ^ "Zenit St Petersburg 1–0 FC Arsenal Tula". Yahoo Sports!. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  23. ^ Grez, Matias (2 June 2015). "Zenit St. Petersburg celebrate their fourth league title". CNN. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  24. ^ "Суперкубок России по футболу 2015, Финал". RFPL (in Russian). 12 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  25. ^ "Witsel will continue his career in China" (in Russian). FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. 3 January 2017.
  26. ^ "Alexandre Pato struggles as Tianjin Quanjian slump vs. Guangzhou R&F". ESPN. 4 March 2017.
  27. ^ "Witsel scores Quanjian's maiden CSL goal". MSN. 11 March 2017.
  28. ^ "Axel Witsel to join Borussia Dortmund from Tianjin Quanjian". SkySports. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  29. ^ "Axel Witsel arrives at the BVB training camp". Borussia Dortmund. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Axel Witsel saves Borussia Dortmund on debut in German Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  31. ^ "Borussia Dortmund 4-1 RB Leipzig: As it happened!". Bundesliga. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  32. ^ "Club Atlético de Madrid - Witsel is now a Red & White player". Club Atlético de Madrid. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Club Atlético de Madrid - Ya conocemos las alineaciones titulares para el Getafe-Atleti".
  34. ^ "Club Atlético de Madrid - Ya conocemos las alineaciones titulares para el Atleti-Villarreal".
  35. ^ a b "Axel Witsel marque, Stijn Stijnen se troue deux fois". Le Soir (in French). 27 March 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  36. ^ a b . Sporza (in Dutch). 25 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  37. ^ Potter, Steffen (11 October 2011). "Germany stamp out Belgium's fire". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  38. ^ "Adnan Januzaj included in Belgium's World Cup squad". BBC Sport. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  39. ^ Chowdhury, Saj (17 June 2014). "Belgium 2–1 Algeria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  40. ^ BelgianRedDevils [@@BelRedDevils] (31 May 2016). ".OFFICIAL ! Our final #Euro2016 squad list & numbers ! #TousenFrance" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 January 2018 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ a b Lowe, Sid (18 June 2016). "Belgium get going as Romelu Lukaku punishes Republic of Ireland". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  42. ^ Dorman, Matt (31 August 2017). "Belgium 9 Gibraltar 0: Trebles for Meunier and Lukaku as Hazard makes scoring return". Goal.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  43. ^ "World Cup 2018: Belgium include Vincent Kompany but Christian Benteke misses out". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  44. ^ "Belgium coach Tedesco wields the axe for Euro qualifiers". Reuters. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  45. ^ "Belgium midfielder Witsel retires from international football". Reuters. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  46. ^ . La Dernière Heure (in French). 23 October 2012. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  47. ^ . Sudinfo.be (in French). 13 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  48. ^ "Mondial 2018 - France Belgique: Axel Witsel, l'autre Antillais endiablé". franceinfo. franceinfo. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  49. ^ Dalmat, Syanie (10 July 2018). "Axel Witsel, le Belge qui aurait pu jouer pour la France". L'Equipe. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  50. ^ "Boyhood Arsenal fan Axel Witsel: "I have always liked Manchester United since I was young"". Eurosport UK. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  51. ^ a b c d "A. Witsel". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  52. ^ a b "Axel Witsel". Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  53. ^ "Victoire des Diables face au Qatar (0–2)". La Dernière Heure (in French). 17 November 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  54. ^ Da Silva, Christophe (9 February 2011). "Rode Duivels gooien verdiende winst weer weg in blessuretijd". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  55. ^ Lynch, Michael (5 September 2014). "Socceroos easily beaten by Belgium in friendly". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  56. ^ a b "Christian Benteke historic goal, hat trick help Belgium beat Gibraltar". ESPN FC. Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  57. ^ "Belgium 5-1 Iceland: Hosts survive scare to earn second win". UEFA. 8 September 2020.
  58. ^ "Estonia 2-5 Belgium". UEFA. 2 September 2021.
  59. ^ "Belgium 6-1 Poland: Red Devils turn on the style". UEFA. 8 June 2022.
  60. ^ "Borussia Dortmund gewinnt den Supercup 2019 gegen den FC Bayern München" [Borussia Dortmund wins the 2019 Supercup against FC Bayern Munich]. Bundesliga.com (in German). Dortmund: Deutsche Fußball Liga. 3 August 2019. from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  61. ^ (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  62. ^ "Witsel honoured as Belgium's best of 2008". UEFA. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2019.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Axel Witsel.
  • Official website  
  • Profile at the Atlético Madrid website
  • Axel Witsel at the Royal Belgian Football Association
  • Axel Witsel goals highlights
  • at ForaDeJogo (archived)  
  • Axel Witsel at Soccerway  
  • Axel Witsel at National-Football-Teams.com  
  • Axel Witsel at Soccerbase  
  • Axel Witsel – UEFA competition record ()  

May 19, 2023
axel, witsel, axel, laurent, angel, lambert, witsel, born, january, 1989, belgian, professional, footballer, plays, defensive, midfielder, centre, back, liga, club, atlético, madrid, witsel, broke, into, belgium, first, team, right, winger, also, play, attacki. Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel born 12 January 1989 is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre back 4 for La Liga club Atletico Madrid Witsel broke into Belgium s first team as a right winger and can also play attacking midfielder though his natural position is as a central midfielder Axel WitselWitsel celebrating the bronze medal with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World CupPersonal informationFull nameAxel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel 1 Date of birth 1989 01 12 12 January 1989 age 34 2 Place of birthLiege BelgiumHeight1 86 m 6 ft 1 in 3 Position s Defensive midfielder Centre backTeam informationCurrent teamAtletico MadridNumber20Youth career1995 1997RRC Vottem1997 1999CS Vise1999 2006Standard LiegeSenior career YearsTeamApps Gls 2006 2011Standard Liege148 33 2011 2012Benfica32 1 2012 2016Zenit Saint Petersburg122 16 2017 2018Tianjin Quanjian36 5 2018 2022Borussia Dortmund105 10 2022 Atletico Madrid29 0 International career2004Belgium U151 0 2005Belgium U162 0 2005 2006Belgium U1719 0 2006 2007Belgium U185 0 2006Belgium U193 0 2007 2009Belgium U2110 0 2008 2022Belgium130 12 Honours Men s footballRepresenting BelgiumFIFA World Cup2018 Russia Club domestic league appearances and goals correct as of 23 34 14 May 2023 UTC He began his career at hometown club Standard Liege making 183 appearances and scoring 42 goals while winning five domestic trophies He was awarded the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2008 After a season in Portugal with Benfica he signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg for a 40 million fee in 2012 Witsel won four honours during his time in Russia before leaving for Tianjin Quanjian in January 2017 He returned to Europe with Borussia Dortmund in August 2018 With the Bundesliga side Witsel won the 2019 DFL Supercup and the 2020 21 DFB Pokal Witsel made his senior international debut in 2008 and earned his 100th cap for Belgium on 15 November 2018 He represented the country at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 2018 and 2022 and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020 helping them to third place in the 2018 tournament Contents 1 Club career 1 1 Standard Liege 1 2 Benfica 1 3 Zenit Saint Petersburg 1 4 Tianjin Quanjian 1 5 Borussia Dortmund 1 6 Atletico Madrid 2 International career 3 Personal life 4 Career statistics 4 1 Club 4 2 International 5 Honours 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksClub career EditStandard Liege Edit On 17 September 2006 a 17 year old Witsel made his debut with Standard Liege during a competitive game against FC Brussels when he replaced Steven Defour in the 89th minute Eleven days later he made his European debut as a substitute citation needed During the 2007 08 season at 18 years of age he was a key member in the squad of Standard Liege winners of the Belgian League title that year During this year he formed a very young midfield together with other Belgian talents Defour and Marouane Fellaini In the following season he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in a two legged playoff to decide the championship citation needed On 30 August 2009 Witsel sparked controversy when he broke Marcin Wasilewski s leg by stamping on his ankle during the match between Anderlecht and Standard 5 6 Following the tackle Witsel protested the red card claiming that it was an accident without intent before being sent off the pitch He soon apologised but was the subject of criticism from several media outlets and numerous death threats from angry Anderlecht and Poland fans 7 The initial ban until 23 November by the Belgian Football Association 8 was later reduced on appeal to eight matches 9 Benfica Edit Witsel signed for Portuguese club Benfica on a five year deal on 13 July 2011 including a 40 million buyout clause 10 Witsel scored twice in the 3 1 win against FC Twente in the Champions League play off second leg on 24 August 2011 sending Benfica to the group stages with a 5 3 aggregate victory 11 Witsel playing for Benfica against Zenit in 2012 He scored the opening goal in a 4 1 thrashing of Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Taca da Liga on 9 January 2012 12 He then assisted Nolito in a 4 1 league defeat of Vitoria de Setubal Witsel scored his fourth goal against Santa Clara on 18 January in a Taca da Liga match 13 Benfica reached the final on 14 April against Gil Vicente and Witsel was awarded the Man of the Match award as Benfica claimed their fourth Taca da Liga title with a 2 1 victory 14 Zenit Saint Petersburg Edit On 3 September 2012 Witsel signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg for 40 million after signing a five year contract 15 16 Witsel made his debut in the Russian Premier League on 14 September replacing Konstantin Zyryanov in the 70th minute as Zenit fell 2 0 to Terek Grozny 17 He scored his first two goals for the club on 30 November when Zenit brushed aside Spartak Moscow 4 2 at the Luzhniki Stadium 18 Witsel scored Zenit s winner against Terek Grozny on 30 March 2013 an eighth minute strike as his side cruised to a 3 0 league victory 19 In Zenit s first match of the 2014 15 UEFA Champions League group stage on 16 September 2014 Witsel scored Zenit s second goal in a 2 0 away victory over former club Benfica 20 After finishing third in their Champions League group Zenit were parachuted into the Europa League knockout phase in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash against Torino on 12 March 2015 Witsel scored on a rebound as Zenit defeated the Italian club 2 0 21 On 26 April Witsel scored the game s only goal in the seventeenth minute as Zenit defeated Arsenal Tula in a league match at the Petrovsky Stadium 22 On Sunday 17 May Witsel played the full 90 minutes as Zenit drew 1 1 with FC Ufa earning the point they needed to secure the Premier League crown the club s fourth overall and Witsel s first with Zenit 23 Witsel playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg against Dundalk in 2016 In the 2015 Russian Super Cup on 12 July 2015 Witsel converted his penalty shot in a 4 2 penalty shoot out victory over FC Lokomotiv Moscow after the match had finished 1 1 24 Tianjin Quanjian Edit On 3 January 2017 Zenit officially announced that Witsel has moved to Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian 25 On 4 March 2017 Witsel made his debut for Quanjian in a 2 0 loss to Guangzhou R amp F 26 A week later he scored the club s first ever goal in the Chinese Super League during a 1 1 draw with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua 27 Borussia Dortmund Edit Witsel playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021 On 6 August 2018 Witsel signed for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and agreed a four year contract which would last until 30 June 2022 28 29 On 21 August he scored an equalizing goal in the stoppage time to make it 1 1 after coming on as a substitute on his debut for the club against SpVgg Greuther Furth in the DFB Pokal first round match and later his side went on to win the match in the extra time with a 2 1 victory 30 Witsel scored his first Bundesliga goal on his league debut for the club with an overhead kick in a 4 1 victory over RB Leipzig on 26 August 31 Atletico Madrid Edit On 7 July 2022 Atletico Madrid officially announced that Witsel had signed for the club on a one year contract via a free transfer after his contract with Borussia Dortmund expired 32 Under manager Diego Simeone Witsel began to play as a defender in the middle of a back three in the 5 3 2 formation 33 34 International career EditPrior to making his international debut for the senior side Witsel played for the under 21 side in 2007 earning nine caps as well as helping his side reach the semi finals of the 2007 UEFA European Under 21 Championship On 26 March 2008 Witsel made his senior international debut for Belgium during a friendly game against Morocco The match resulted in a 1 4 loss but Witsel scored his first goal 35 Witsel lining up for Belgium before playing Austria in the qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 Witsel s first goal in a competitive international match came a day short of three years after the Morocco goal in the sixth minute against Austria in Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying process and his second would come in the second half 36 However Belgian hopes of qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 were dashed on 11 October 2011 by defeat to Germany coupled with Turkey s victory over Azerbaijan 37 On 13 May 2014 Witsel was named in Belgium s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup 38 He started in midfield in the team s first game of the tournament a 2 1 win against Algeria in Belo Horizonte 39 Witsel also featured in the Belgian squad at UEFA Euro 2016 announced on 31 May 2016 40 He scored his first tournament goal during the Championships in a Group E match against the Republic of Ireland 41 Axel Witsel playing for Belgium during the 2018 FIFA World Cup He scored twice in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification both in wide victories over Gibraltar 42 Manager Roberto Martinez named him in the squad for the final tournament in Russia 43 Witsel was part of the Belgian squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where the team performed badly failing to make it out of the group stage On 17 March 2023 new Belgian coach Domenico Tedesco dropped Witsel from the squad for European Championship qualifying games citing the player s lack of playing time 44 On 12 May 2023 Witsel announced his retirement from the national team on Instagram having made 130 appearances for Belgium 45 Personal life EditWitsel has three children 46 47 He is of Martiniquais descent through his father 48 49 He was a boyhood Arsenal fan 50 Career statistics EditClub Edit Witsel in UEFA Europa League action for Zenit facing Dundalk in 2016 As of match played 14 May 2023 51 Appearances and goals by club season and competition Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other TotalDivision Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsStandard Liege 2006 07 Belgian Pro League 16 2 1 0 17 22007 08 Belgian Pro League 33 7 3 1 36 82008 09 Belgian Pro League 35 8 10 1 1 0 46 92009 10 Belgian Pro League 27 6 1 1 12 3 1 1 41 112010 11 Belgian Pro League 37 10 6 2 43 12Total 148 33 7 3 26 5 2 1 183 42Benfica 2011 12 Primeira Liga 29 1 1 0 4 2 14 2 49 52012 13 Primeira Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0Total 32 1 1 0 4 2 14 2 52 5Zenit Saint Petersburg 2012 13 Russian Premier League 19 4 3 0 9 1 31 52013 14 Russian Premier League 30 4 1 0 11 0 1 0 43 42014 15 Russian Premier League 28 4 1 0 13 2 42 62015 16 Russian Premier League 29 3 4 2 7 1 1 0 41 62016 17 Russian Premier League 16 1 1 0 6 0 0 0 23 1Total 122 16 10 2 46 4 2 0 180 22Tianjin Quanjian 2017 Chinese Super League 27 4 2 0 29 42018 Chinese Super League 9 1 1 1 8 0 18 2Total 36 5 3 1 8 0 47 6Borussia Dortmund 2018 19 Bundesliga 33 4 3 1 7 1 43 62019 20 Bundesliga 28 4 3 0 7 0 1 0 39 42020 21 Bundesliga 15 0 2 0 5 1 0 0 22 12021 22 Bundesliga 29 2 3 0 8 0 1 0 41 2Total 105 10 11 1 27 2 2 0 145 13Atletico Madrid 2022 23 La Liga 29 0 4 0 6 0 39 0Career total 471 65 36 7 4 2 127 13 6 1 645 88 Witsel warming up on international duty 2017 International Edit Appearances and goals by national team and year 52 National team Year Apps GoalsBelgium 2008 7 12009 3 12010 5 02011 11 32012 9 02013 10 02014 11 12015 9 02016 15 22017 7 12018 13 02019 5 02020 5 12021 10 12022 10 1Total 130 12Belgium score listed first score column indicates score after each Witsel goal 52 International goals by date venue cap opponent score result and competition No Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref 1 26 March 2008 King Baudouin Stadium Brussels Belgium 1 Morocco 1 2 1 4 Friendly 35 2 17 November 2009 Stade Louis Dugauguez Sedan France 10 Qatar 1 0 2 0 Friendly 53 3 9 February 2011 Jules Ottenstadion Ghent Belgium 16 Finland 1 0 1 1 Friendly 54 4 25 March 2011 Ernst Happel Stadion Vienna Austria 17 Austria 1 0 2 0 UEFA Euro 2012 qualification 36 5 2 06 4 September 2014 Stade Maurice Dufrasne Liege Belgium 52 Australia 2 0 2 0 Friendly 55 7 18 June 2016 Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux Bordeaux France 69 Republic of Ireland 2 0 3 0 UEFA Euro 2016 41 8 10 October 2016 Estadio Algarve Faro Loule Portugal 76 Gibraltar 2 0 6 0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 56 9 31 August 2017 Stade Maurice Dufrasne Liege Belgium 81 Gibraltar 3 0 9 0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 56 10 8 September 2020 King Baudouin Stadium Brussels Belgium 107 Iceland 1 1 5 1 2020 21 UEFA Nations League A 57 11 2 September 2021 Lillekula Stadium Tallinn Estonia 115 Estonia 4 1 5 2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 58 12 8 June 2022 King Baudouin Stadium Brussels Belgium 122 Poland 1 1 6 1 2022 23 UEFA Nations League A 59 Honours EditStandard Liege 51 Belgian Pro League 2007 08 2008 09 Belgian Cup 2010 11 Belgian Supercup 2008 2009Benfica Taca da Liga 2011 12 51 Zenit Russian Football Premier League 2014 15 Russian Cup 2015 16 Russian Super Cup 2015 51 Borussia Dortmund DFB Pokal 2020 21 DFL Supercup 2019 60 Belgium FIFA World Cup third place 2018 61 Individual Belgian Young Footballer of the Year 2007 08 Belgian Golden Shoe 2008 62 O Jogo Team of the Year 2012See also Edit Association football portal Belgium portalList of men s footballers with 100 or more international capsReferences Edit Conselho de disciplina Disciplinary board in Portuguese Portuguese Football Federation 23 March 2012 p 3 Archived from the original PDF on 9 March 2016 FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 List of players Belgium PDF FIFA 15 July 2018 p 3 Archived from the original PDF on 30 July 2018 Retrieved 11 June 2019 Axel Witsel Eurosport Retrieved 11 June 2019 Barlow Ruairidh 22 September 2022 Axel Witsel makes thoughts clear to Diego Simeone over position change Football Espana Retrieved 1 May 2023 Witsel breekt been van Wasilewski in tackle Sporza Archived from the original on 1 September 2009 Retrieved 31 August 2009 Anderlecht Standard faute d Axel Witsel sur Wasilewski YouTube Retrieved 31 August 2009 dead YouTube link Standard Liege Stars Defour amp Witsel Receive Death Threats Report Goal com 1 September 2009 Archived from the original on 16 January 2014 Retrieved 26 June 2016 Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel banned for horror tackle MirrorFootball 1 September 2009 Retrieved 26 June 2016 Yahoo UK amp Ireland Sports News Live Scores Results Retrieved 26 June 2016 Benfica sign Witsel ESPNFC 14 July 2011 Witsel delivers as Benfica oust Twente UEFA 24 August 2011 V Guimaraes 1 4 Benfica LPFP Archived from the original on 28 April 2012 Retrieved 3 December 2012 Benfica 2 0 Sta Clara LPFP Archived from the original on 1 August 2013 Retrieved 3 December 2012 Witsel foi o Man of The Match LPFP 15 April 2012 Archived from the original on 14 July 2012 Retrieved 3 December 2012 Oficialnyj sajt FK Zenit Retrieved 26 June 2016 Comunicado Announcement PDF in Portuguese CMVM 3 September 2012 Retrieved 31 December 2014 Zenit 0 2 Terek Grozny ESPNFC 14 September 2012 Spartak Moscow 2 4 Zenit St Petersburg ESPNFC 30 November 2012 Terek Grozny 0 3 Zenit St Petersburg ESPNFC 30 March 2013 Familiar Zenit faces come back to haunt Benfica UEFA 16 September 2014 Retrieved 17 July 2015 Zenit ease to victory over ten man Torino UEFA 12 March 2015 Retrieved 17 July 2015 Zenit St Petersburg 1 0 FC Arsenal Tula Yahoo Sports 26 April 2015 Retrieved 17 July 2015 Grez Matias 2 June 2015 Zenit St Petersburg celebrate their fourth league title CNN Retrieved 6 September 2020 Superkubok Rossii po futbolu 2015 Final RFPL in Russian 12 July 2015 Retrieved 17 July 2015 Witsel will continue his career in China in Russian FC Zenit Saint Petersburg 3 January 2017 Alexandre Pato struggles as Tianjin Quanjian slump vs Guangzhou R amp F ESPN 4 March 2017 Witsel scores Quanjian s maiden CSL goal MSN 11 March 2017 Axel Witsel to join Borussia Dortmund from Tianjin Quanjian SkySports Retrieved 7 August 2018 Axel Witsel arrives at the BVB training camp Borussia Dortmund Retrieved 7 August 2018 Axel Witsel saves Borussia Dortmund on debut in German Cup BBC Sport Retrieved 21 August 2018 Borussia Dortmund 4 1 RB Leipzig As it happened Bundesliga Retrieved 27 August 2018 Club Atletico de Madrid Witsel is now a Red amp White player Club Atletico de Madrid Retrieved 7 July 2022 Club Atletico de Madrid Ya conocemos las alineaciones titulares para el Getafe Atleti Club Atletico de Madrid Ya conocemos las alineaciones titulares para el Atleti Villarreal a b Axel Witsel marque Stijn Stijnen se troue deux fois Le Soir in French 27 March 2008 Retrieved 4 December 2014 a b Witsel bezorgt Rode Duivels zege van de hoop Sporza in Dutch 25 March 2011 Archived from the original on 2 September 2017 Retrieved 4 December 2014 Potter Steffen 11 October 2011 Germany stamp out Belgium s fire uefa com Union of European Football Associations Retrieved 24 January 2018 Adnan Januzaj included in Belgium s World Cup squad BBC Sport 13 May 2014 Retrieved 15 May 2014 Chowdhury Saj 17 June 2014 Belgium 2 1 Algeria BBC Sport Retrieved 17 June 2014 BelgianRedDevils BelRedDevils 31 May 2016 OFFICIAL Our final Euro2016 squad list amp numbers TousenFrance Tweet Retrieved 24 January 2018 via Twitter a b Lowe Sid 18 June 2016 Belgium get going as Romelu Lukaku punishes Republic of Ireland The Guardian Retrieved 14 October 2016 Dorman Matt 31 August 2017 Belgium 9 Gibraltar 0 Trebles for Meunier and Lukaku as Hazard makes scoring return Goal com Retrieved 4 September 2018 World Cup 2018 Belgium include Vincent Kompany but Christian Benteke misses out BBC Sport 4 June 2018 Retrieved 4 September 2018 Belgium coach Tedesco wields the axe for Euro qualifiers Reuters 17 March 2023 Retrieved 17 March 2023 Belgium midfielder Witsel retires from international football Reuters 12 May 2023 Retrieved 12 May 2023 Axel Witsel en tres charmante compagnie La Derniere Heure in French 23 October 2012 Archived from the original on 31 August 2017 Retrieved 23 April 2014 Axel amp Rafaella Witsel eblouissants lors de leur mariage religieux Sudinfo be in French 13 June 2015 Archived from the original on 25 June 2016 Retrieved 31 August 2017 Mondial 2018 France Belgique Axel Witsel l autre Antillais endiable franceinfo franceinfo 10 July 2018 Retrieved 11 July 2018 Dalmat Syanie 10 July 2018 Axel Witsel le Belge qui aurait pu jouer pour la France L Equipe Retrieved 11 July 2018 Boyhood Arsenal fan Axel Witsel I have always liked Manchester United since I was young Eurosport UK 7 May 2015 Retrieved 28 February 2022 a b c d A Witsel Soccerway Retrieved 17 March 2015 a b Axel Witsel Royal Belgian Football Association Retrieved 14 October 2016 Victoire des Diables face au Qatar 0 2 La Derniere Heure in French 17 November 2009 Retrieved 4 December 2014 Da Silva Christophe 9 February 2011 Rode Duivels gooien verdiende winst weer weg in blessuretijd Het Laatste Nieuws in Dutch Retrieved 4 December 2014 Lynch Michael 5 September 2014 Socceroos easily beaten by Belgium in friendly The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 4 December 2014 a b Christian Benteke historic goal hat trick help Belgium beat Gibraltar ESPN FC Entertainment and Sports Programming Network 10 October 2016 Retrieved 14 October 2016 Belgium 5 1 Iceland Hosts survive scare to earn second win UEFA 8 September 2020 Estonia 2 5 Belgium UEFA 2 September 2021 Belgium 6 1 Poland Red Devils turn on the style UEFA 8 June 2022 Borussia Dortmund gewinnt den Supercup 2019 gegen den FC Bayern Munchen Borussia Dortmund wins the 2019 Supercup against FC Bayern Munich Bundesliga com in German Dortmund Deutsche Fussball Liga 3 August 2019 Archived from the original on 3 August 2019 Retrieved 3 August 2019 FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 List of players Belgium PDF FIFA 15 July 2018 p 3 Archived from the original PDF on 30 July 2018 Retrieved 11 June 2019 Witsel honoured as Belgium s best of 2008 UEFA 22 January 2009 Retrieved 4 August 2019 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Axel Witsel Official website Profile at the Atletico Madrid website Axel Witsel at the Royal Belgian Football Association Axel Witsel goals highlights Axel Witsel at ForaDeJogo archived Axel Witsel at Soccerway Axel Witsel at National Football Teams com Axel Witsel at Soccerbase Axel Witsel UEFA competition record archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Axel Witsel amp oldid 1155392498, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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