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 35)[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)
2012–2017
Zenit Saint Petersburg
122
(16)
2017–2018
Tianjin Quanjian
36
(5)
2018–2022
Borussia Dortmund
105
(10)
2022–
Atlético Madrid
67
(2)
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)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Belgium
FIFA World Cup
2018 Russia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 May 2024 (UTC)
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. He originally also played in more offensive roles such as central or attacking midfielder.
Witsel 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.
^"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.
Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel (born 12 January 1989) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for La...
League with Leicester City and getting injured after a challenge by AxelWitsel during a match in 2009. Wasilewski was born in Kraków, Poland, and started...
elimination, in which Onana and then Leander Dendoncker started alongside AxelWitsel. Tielemans began as a holding midfielder, but was moved by Anderlecht...
Jan Vertonghen; 20 in the 2000s, 98 in the 2010s and 36 in the 2020s AxelWitsel; 10 in the 2000s, 95 in the 2010s and 25 in the 2020s Toby Alderweireld;...
the right flank saw Fellaini narrowly miss the target with a header. AxelWitsel's long-range drive was pushed away by Lloris as France secured their place...
2018. Retrieved 26 April 2019. "De Tijd - AxelWitsel wint Gouden Schoen" (in Dutch). "De Standaard - AxelWitsel wint Gouden Schoen 2008". 20 January 2009...
Schöpf Toby Alderweireld Michy Batshuayi Yannick Carrasco Eden Hazard AxelWitsel Nikola Kalinić Luka Modrić Ivan Rakitić Tomáš Necid Milan Škoda Eric...
Svystunov Anatoliy Tymoschuk Igor Zhabchenko Europe Nicolas Lombaerts AxelWitsel Darko Maletić Ivica Križanac Dejan Lovren Marek Kincl Pavel Mareš Radek...
first half of the season, however, with new signings Thomas Delaney and AxelWitsel preferred in midfield. Dahoud had a difficult season due to injury, lack...
Daniel Van Buyten CB 4 Vincent Kompany (c) 42' LB 5 Jan Vertonghen CM 6 AxelWitsel CM 8 Marouane Fellaini RW 14 Dries Mertens 60' AM 7 Kevin De Bruyne...
Vertonghen". Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 20 November 2015. "AxelWitsel". Royal Belgian Football Association. Retrieved 20 November 2015. "Toby...
Ndamukong Suh, Free Agent Andrew Thomas, New York Giants Football / Soccer AxelWitsel, Atlético Madrid Eric Bailly, Villarreal CF Romelu Lukaku, AS Roma (On...
replaced for the rest of the tournament for the quarter-finalists once AxelWitsel recovered from injury. On 8 June 2022, Dendoncker scored his first international...
Thomas Vermaelen 72' RM 15 Thomas Meunier CM 8 Youri Tielemans CM 6 AxelWitsel LM 16 Thorgan Hazard 90+5' RW 7 Kevin De Bruyne 48' LW 10 Eden Hazard...
right back in the UEFA Euro 2016 group stage and then set up a goal for AxelWitsel, in a 3–0 win over Republic of Ireland. He also aided his team in keeping...
all time in the Belgium national football team (after Jan Vertonghen, AxelWitsel, Toby Alderweireld, Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut...
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