Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel ( yield 12 January 1989 ) is a belgian professional football player who plays for Bundesliga clubhouse Borussia Dortmund [ 4 ] and the belgian national team. Witsel broke into Belgium ‘s inaugural team as a rightist, and can besides play attacking midfielder, though his natural position is as a central midfielder. 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 honor during his time in Russia, before leaving for Tianjin Quanjian in January 2017. He returned to Europe with Borussia Dortmund in August 2018.
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Witsel made his elder international introduction in 2008 and earned his hundredth cap for Belgium on 15 November 2018. He represented the country at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018, and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020, helping them to third base place in the 2018 tournament .
Club career [edit ]
Standard Liège [edit ]
On 17 September 2006, a 17-year-old Witsel made his debut with Standard Liège during a competitive plot against FC Brussels when he replaced Steven Defour in the 89th minute. Eleven days late, he made his european debut as a substitute. [ citation needed ] During the 2007–08 season, at 18 years of age, he was a winder member in the police squad of Standard Liège, winners of the Belgian League title that year. During this year, he formed a very young midfield together with early belgian talents Defour and Marouane Fellaini. In the be season, he scored the winning goal from the punishment spot in a two-legged playoff to decide the backing. [ citation needed ] On 30 August 2009, Witsel sparked controversy when he broke Marcin Wasilewski ‘s branch by stamping on his ankle during the match between Anderlecht and Standard. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Following the rigging, Witsel protested the loss card, claiming that it was an accident without purpose, before being sent off the pitch. He soon apologised, but was the national of criticism from respective media outlets and numerous death threats from angry Anderlecht and Poland fans. [ 7 ] The initial prohibition until 23 November by the Belgian Football Association, [ 8 ] was subsequently 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 slam dance of Vitória de Guimarães in the Taça district attorney Liga on 9 January 2012. [ 12 ] He then assisted Nolito in a 4–1 league kill of Vitória de Setúbal. Witsel scored his fourthly goal against Santa Clara on 18 January in a Taça district attorney 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 fourthly Taça district attorney 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 seventieth 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 digression Spartak Moscow 4–2 at the Luzhniki Stadium. [ 18 ] Witsel scored Zenit ‘s achiever 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 couple of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage on 16 September 2014, Witsel scored Zenit ‘s second goal in a 2–0 aside victory over early 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 clang against Torino on 12 March 2015, Witsel scored on a recoil as Zenit defeated the italian club 2–0. [ 21 ] On 26 April, Witsel scored the game ‘s merely finish in the seventeenth hour as Zenit defeated Arsenal Tula in a league pit at the Petrovsky Stadium. [ 22 ] On Sunday 17 May, Witsel played the broad 90 minutes as Zenit drew 1–1 with FC Ufa, earning the point they needed to secure the Premier League crown, the club ‘s fourthly overall and Witsel ‘s first gear with Zenit. [ 23 ]
In the 2015 russian Super Cup on 12 July 2015, Witsel converted his penalty guess 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 formally 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 golf club ‘s first ever goal in the chinese Super League during a 1–1 tie with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. [ 27 ]
Borussia Dortmund [edit ]
On 6 August 2018, Witsel signed for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and agreed a four-year compress which lasts until 30 June 2022. [ 28 ] [ 29 ] On 21 August, he scored an equalizing goal in the blockage 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 gear rung couple and late his side went on to win the meet 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 gripe in a 4–1 victory over RB Leipzig on 26 August. [ 31 ]
International career [edit ]
Prior to making his international debut for the senior slope, he played for the under-21 english in 2007 earning nine caps deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as helping his english reach the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA european Under-21 Football Championship. On 26 March 2008, Witsel made his international debut during a friendly game against Morocco. The match resulted in a 1–4 loss, but Witsel scored his first finish for Belgium. [ 32 ]
Witsel ‘s first goal in an competitive international peer came a day short of three years after the Morocco finish, in the sixth moment against Austria in Group A of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying process, and his second would come in the second one-half. [ 33 ] however, belgian hopes of qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 were dashed on 11 October 2011, by get the better of to Germany coupled with Turkey ‘s victory over Azerbaijan. [ 34 ]
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On 13 May 2014, Witsel was named in Belgium ‘s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. [ 35 ] He started in midfield in the team ‘s beginning game of the tournament, a 2–1 winnings against Algeria in Belo Horizonte. [ 36 ] Witsel besides featured in the belgian team at UEFA Euro 2016, announced on 31 May 2016. [ 37 ] He scored his first tournament finish during the Championships, in a Group E pit against the Republic of Ireland. [ 38 ]
He scored twice in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, both in wide victories over Gibraltar. [ 39 ] Manager Roberto Martínez named him in the squad for the concluding tournament in Russia. [ 40 ]
personal biography [edit ]
Witsel has three children. [ 41 ] [ 42 ] He is of Martiniquais descent through his don. [ 43 ] [ 44 ]
career statistics [edit ]
club [edit ]
- As of match played 6 November 2021[45]
Witsel warming up on international duty, 2017
International [edit ]
- As of match played 16 November 2021[46]
Year
Apps
Goals
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
Total
120
11
International goals [edit ]
- As of match played 16 November 2021. Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Witsel goal.[46]
Honours [edit ]
clubhouse [edit ]
Standard Liège [ 45 ]
Benfica
Zenit
Borussia Dortmund
International [edit ]
Belgium
individual [edit ]
See besides [edit ]
References [edit ]
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