Axel Witsel
Encyclopedia
Axel Thomas Witsel (ˈɑk.səl ˈtoː.mɑs ˈʋɪt.səl) (born 12 January 1989 in Liège
) is a Belgian
football player who plays for Benfica. His natural position is attacking midfielder, but he came into the first team as a right-winger. His father has roots in Martinique
(French Caribbean) and is a former football player, and his mother is Belgian.
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
.
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 Marouane Fellaini
and Steven Defour
. In the following season he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot
in a two-legged playoff
to decide the Championship.
Axel Witsel currently plays for Benfica from Portugal, having signed a five year deal on July 13, 2011. Witsel scored twice in the 3-1 win against FC Twente, in the Champions League play-off second leg, on 24th August 2011. He is said to be one of the best players in Portugal just after recently moving to his new club and continues to consolidate himself as a first choice in the Belgium National Team, during the Euro 2012 Qualifiers stage.
's leg by stamping on his ankle during the match between Anderlecht and Standard. 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 threat
s from angry Anderlecht and Poland
fans. The initial ban until 23 November by the Belgian Football Association, was later reduced on appeal to eight matches.
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
) is a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
football player who plays for Benfica. His natural position is attacking midfielder, but he came into the first team as a right-winger. His father has roots in Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
(French Caribbean) and is a former football player, and his mother is Belgian.
Career
On 17 September 2006 a 17-year-old Witsel made his debut with Standard LiègeStandard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
during a competitive game against FC Brussels when he replaced Steven Defour
Steven Defour
Steven Arnold Defour is a Belgian footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Porto.-Racing Genk:Defour had been with KV Mechelen since 2002....
in the 89th minute. Eleven days later he made his European debut as a substitute
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
.
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 Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui is a Belgian footballer who plays for Everton and the Belgium national football team. Fellaini is of Moroccan descent.-Early career:...
and Steven Defour
Steven Defour
Steven Arnold Defour is a Belgian footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Porto.-Racing Genk:Defour had been with KV Mechelen since 2002....
. In the following season he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in a two-legged playoff
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...
to decide the Championship.
Axel Witsel currently plays for Benfica from Portugal, having signed a five year deal on July 13, 2011. Witsel scored twice in the 3-1 win against FC Twente, in the Champions League play-off second leg, on 24th August 2011. He is said to be one of the best players in Portugal just after recently moving to his new club and continues to consolidate himself as a first choice in the Belgium National Team, during the Euro 2012 Qualifiers stage.
Club
Standard Liege- Belgian League winner (2): 2007–08, 2008–09
- Belgian CupBelgian CupThe Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
(1): 2010–112010–11 Belgian CupThe 2010–11 Belgian Cup is the 56th season of the main knockout football competition in Belgium. It commenced on 24 July 2010 with the first matches of Round 1 and will conclude with the Final in May 2011. K. A. A...
- Belgian SupercupBelgian SupercupThe Belgian Supercup is a Belgian club competition played on a single match at the league champion venue since 2004 and formerly at the Stade Roi Baudouin, between the winner of the last Belgian Pro League and that of the last Belgian Cup. If both teams are the same, the opponent is declared to...
(2): 20082008 Belgian Super CupThe 2008 Belgian Super Cup is a football match that was played on 9 August 2008, between league winners Standard Liège and cup winners R.S.C. Anderlecht. Standard won convincingly with 3-1.-Match details:...
, 20092009 Belgian Super CupThe 2009 Belgian Super Cup is a football match that was played on 25 July 2009, between league winners Standard Liège and cup winners K.R.C. Genk. It was won easily by Standard Liège.-Match details:...
Individual
- Belgian Young Footballer of the YearBelgian professional football awardsThe Belgian professional football awards is a collection of awards given at the end of each season since 1983. The first year, the only award was the Manager of the Year. There are now 5 awards: Footballer, Young Footballer, Goalkeeper, Manager and Referee. The voters are all the players from...
: 2007–08 - Belgian Golden ShoeBelgian Golden ShoeIn association football, the Belgian Golden Shoe is an award given in Belgium at the beginning of each civil year to the best footballer of the Belgian First Division for the past year. The trophy is sponsored by the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws....
- Best player in the Belgian First Division 2008.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cup | European Competition | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Standard Liège Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège.... |
06–07 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| 07–08 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 10 | |
| 08–09 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 53 | 9 | |
| 09–10 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 40 | 10 | |
| 10–11 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 2 | - | - | 43 | 12 | |
| Total | 148 | 33 | 18 | 5 | 26 | 6 | 192 | 44 | |
| Benfica SL Benfica Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team... |
11–12 2011–12 Primeira Liga -Personnel and kits:Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.-Managerial changes:-League table:-Positions by round:... |
10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 2 |
| Career Totals | 158 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 35 | 8 | 212 | 46 | |
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2008 | Stade Roi Baudouin King Baudouin Stadium The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition... , Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... |
1 – 4 | Lost | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2 | 17 November 2009 | Stade Louis-Dugauguez Stade Louis Dugauguez Stade Louis Dugauguez is a multi-use stadium in Sedan, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of CS Sedan Ardennes. The stadium holds 23,189 people and was built in 2000. It replaced Stade Emile Albeau.-References:... , Sedan |
0 – 2 | Won | Friendly | |
| 3 | 9 February 2011 | Jules Ottenstadion Jules Ottenstadion Jules Ottenstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Gentbrugge, Ghent, Belgium. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of K.A.A. Gent. The stadium holds 12,919 and was built in 1920. It is due to be replaced by the new Arteveldestadion in 2010. The people of Ghent... , Ghent Ghent Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of... |
1 – 1 | Draw | Friendly | |
| 4 | 25 March 2011 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... |
0 – 2 | Won | Euro 2012 Q | |
| 5 |
In Belgium
On 30 August 2009, Witsel sparked controversy when he broke Marcin WasilewskiMarcin Wasilewski
Marcin Wasilewski , commonly known as Wasyl, is a Polish defender who plays for RSC Anderlecht and the Poland national football team. He is under contract with Anderlecht until 2013.- Career :...
's leg by stamping on his ankle during the match between Anderlecht and Standard. 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 threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s from angry Anderlecht and Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
fans. The initial ban until 23 November by the Belgian Football Association, was later reduced on appeal to eight matches.