Ligue 1

Axel Witsel

Axel Witsel, 37, from Belgium ➤ OGC Nice, since 2026 ➤ Defensive Midfield ➤ Market value: €1.20m ➤ * 12/01/1989 in Liège, Belgium

NiceMidfield - Defensive Midfield37 years€1.20m
Axel Witsel

Info

Biographical card, current club and contract facts. Empty fields mean the source did not publish that value.

Club
Nice
League
Ligue 1
Position
Midfield - Defensive Midfield
Shirt
#28
Age
37
Date of birth
12/01/1989
Height
1,86m
Foot
right
Citizenship
Belgium, Martinique
Joined
18/08/2026
Contract until
30/06/2027
Market value
€1.20m
Career fees
€89.00m
Youth clubs
RRC Vottem (1995–1997), CS Visé (1997–1999), Standard Liège (1999–2006)

Statistics

Career totals from Transfermarkt: this season, then by competition and by club. Minutes and cards appear when the source recorded them.

This season

SeasonCompetitionAppsMinGAYCRC
26/27Ligue 121460000

By competition

CompetitionAppsGA
Jupiler Pro League1322811
Premier Liga122169
LaLiga11433
Bundesliga105106
UEFA Champions League8544
Super League3653
Liga Portugal3213
Europa League2451
Croky Cup1851
Champions League Qu.1223
Copa del Rey1200
DFB-Pokal1110
UEFA Cup1111
Russian Cup1021
Jupiler Pro League Champions' Play-Offs932
AFC Champions League701
JPL Europe Play-Offs512
Allianz Cup420
Chinese FA Cup310
DFL-Supercup200
Ligue 1200
Volkswagen Supercup210
Taça de Portugal200
Russian Super Cup201
Jupiler Pro League playoff EL210
Club World Cup110
AFC CL-Qualification100
Supercopa100
UEFA-Cup Qualifikation120

By club

ClubAppsGA
Standard Liège1944518
Zenit S-Pb1802214
Dortmund145136
Atlético11632
Benfica5256
TJ Quanjian4764
Girona3212
Nice200

Transfers

Recorded moves between clubs, with fee and market value on the day of the deal when the source has them.

DateSeasonFromToFeeMarket value
18/08/202626/27GironaNicefree transfer€1.20m
12/08/202525/26AtléticoGironafree transfer€2.00m
06/07/202222/23DortmundAtléticofree transfer€4.00m
06/08/201818/19TJ TianhaiDortmund€20.00m€20.00m
03/01/201716/17Zenit S-PbTJ Quanjian€20.00m€20.00m
03/09/201212/13BenficaZenit S-Pb€40.00m€20.00m
13/07/201111/12Standard LiègeBenfica€9.00m€10.00m
01/07/200606/07Standard U19Standard Liège--
01/07/200505/06Standard U17Standard U19--
01/07/200404/05Standard YthStandard U17--

National

Senior and youth national-team spells: caps, goals, shirt number and whether the player is still in the current pool.

TeamCapsGoalsShirtDebutStatus
Belgium1401262008-03-26Current international
Belgium U21100102007-06-16Former international
Belgium U185062006-08-22Former international
Belgium U1930152006-10-04Former international
Belgium U1719062005-08-22Former international
Belgium U162062005-05-09Former international
Belgium U151032004-03-24Former international

Market value

Current and peak Transfermarkt valuations, plus the history of changes by club and age. Rankings are relative to the current squad, league and position group.

Current
€1.20m
Highest
€40.00m · 18/12/2018
Last change
05/06/2026
Belgium 154Defensive Midfield 614Ligue 1 341Nice 21Worldwide 7.005Year 1989 8
DateAgeClubValue
24/09/200617Standard Liège€400k
07/08/200718Standard Liège€1.50m
31/03/200819Standard Liège€2.50m
15/07/200819Standard Liège€3.00m
22/10/200819Standard Liège€4.00m
25/11/200819Standard Liège€8.00m
22/05/200920Standard Liège€8.50m
04/09/200920Standard Liège€7.50m
28/07/201021Standard Liège€8.50m
28/12/201021Standard Liège€8.50m
24/05/201122Standard Liège€10.00m
21/09/201122SL Benfica€11.00m
02/02/201223SL Benfica€14.00m
07/07/201223SL Benfica€20.00m
04/09/201223Zenit St. Petersburg€25.00m
09/09/201223Zenit St. Petersburg€30.00m
13/01/201324Zenit St. Petersburg€30.00m
19/06/201324Zenit St. Petersburg€32.00m
03/03/201425Zenit St. Petersburg€35.00m
31/07/201425Zenit St. Petersburg€35.00m
23/02/201526Zenit St. Petersburg€28.00m
18/06/201526Zenit St. Petersburg€28.00m
06/01/201626Zenit St. Petersburg€28.00m
01/06/201627Zenit St. Petersburg€23.00m
27/12/201627Zenit St. Petersburg€20.00m
05/03/201728Tianjin Quanjian€15.00m
19/06/201728Tianjin Quanjian€15.00m
01/12/201728Tianjin Quanjian€17.00m
05/06/201829Tianjin Quanjian€18.00m
16/07/201829Tianjin Tianhai (-2019)€20.00m
22/08/201829Borussia Dortmund€25.00m
22/10/201829Borussia Dortmund€30.00m
18/12/201829Borussia Dortmund€40.00m
05/06/201930Borussia Dortmund€32.00m
17/12/201930Borussia Dortmund€27.00m
08/04/202031Borussia Dortmund€21.50m
16/09/202031Borussia Dortmund€17.00m
10/02/202132Borussia Dortmund€12.00m
26/05/202132Borussia Dortmund€9.00m
22/12/202132Borussia Dortmund€6.00m
24/03/202233Borussia Dortmund€4.00m
09/06/202233Borussia Dortmund€4.00m
23/09/202233Atlético de Madrid€5.00m
07/11/202233Atlético de Madrid€5.00m
13/06/202334Atlético de Madrid€5.00m
22/12/202334Atlético de Madrid€5.00m
21/03/202435Atlético de Madrid€4.00m
07/06/202435Atlético de Madrid€3.50m
27/12/202435Atlético de Madrid€2.50m
09/06/202536Atlético de Madrid€2.00m
02/10/202536Girona FC€1.50m
12/12/202536Girona FC€1.40m
05/06/202637Girona FC€1.20m

xG Statistics

Axel Witsel's xG Statistics block is an Understat shot model for the 2026 season. It does not replace goals and assists — it explains them. xG and xA ask whether the chances were good enough; xGChain and xGBuildup show how often the player was on the ball in moves that became shots. Use minutes as the denominator: a large xG in 80 minutes is a hot streak, the same xG over 1,200 minutes is a role. Figures are rounded to two decimals and stay empty when Understat has no match for this player.

SeasonLeagueClubAppsMinGxGnpxGAxAShKPxGChain
2026Ligue 1Nice215000.460.4600.04210.27

What the columns mean

Read this table as chance quality, not as a scoreboard. A player can outscore xG (finishing well) or lag behind it (missed sitters). Compare rows only when minutes are in the same range.

Apps · Appearances
Matches in which the player was used in this league season, including substitute minutes.
Min · Minutes
Total minutes on the pitch. Useful when comparing output: 1 goal in 90 minutes is not the same as 1 goal in 800.
G · Goals
Goals credited to the player in the Understat shot model for that season.
xG · Expected goals
The quality of shots the player took, expressed as the number of goals an average finisher would score from the same chances. A 0.30 xG shot is a chance that goes in about 3 times in 10.
npxG · Non-penalty xG
Expected goals with penalties removed. This is the cleaner read of open-play and set-piece finishing, because a penalty is usually ~0.76 xG by itself.
A · Assists
Goals that followed the player's last pass. Actual assists, not the model.
xA · Expected assists
The xG value of shots that came directly from the player's key passes. High xA with few assists usually means teammates missed good chances.
Sh · Shots
Total shots recorded by Understat, including blocked and off-target attempts.
KP · Key passes
Passes that led to a shot. This is the volume behind xA.
xGChain · xG chain
Team xG from possessions the player touched. It captures involvement in build-up, not only the shot or the last pass. A midfielder who starts attacks can rank high here without scoring.
xGBuildup · xG buildup
The same possession xG, but excluding the shot-taker and the assist. This is the purest 'how much did this player help create the chance before the final ball' number.
NPG · Non-penalty goals
Goals scored from open play or set pieces, excluding penalties.

Teammates