Julian Draxler

Julian Draxler (born 20 September 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al Ahli and the Germany national team.

He finished the 2010–11 season with 1 goal in 15 league appearances, two goals in three DFB-Pokal appearances and six UEFA Champions League appearances.

He made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke 04 aged 17 in January 2011, and in May of that year scored the first goal as the side won the DFB-Pokal Final.

Draxler made his Bundesliga debut on 15 January 2011 in a 0–1 loss to Hamburger SV.

At that time, he was the fourth-youngest Bundesliga player ever and the youngest in Schalke's history.

One week later, in Schalke's 1–0 win against Hannover 96, he became the second-youngest field player after Nuri Şahin to start a Bundesliga match.

On 25 January 2011, Julian Draxler came on as a substitute for Peer Kluge in the quarter-finals of the 2010–11 DFB-Pokal against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second half of extra time.

He scored his first goal for Schalke 04 in the dying seconds of the same match to ensure a 3–2 for his club.

He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 1 April 2011 against FC St. Pauli.

Draxler opened the scoring in Schalke's 2011 DFB-Pokal Final victory over MSV Duisburg, volleying in from outside the area, scoring the first of what proved to be five unanswered goals for Schalke.

In the 2011–12 season, Draxler played an important part in securing third place and 2011–12 UEFA Champions League qualification for Schalke, appearing in 30 of 34 Bundesliga matches, mainly on the left side of midfield to accommodate Lewis Holtby in a central role.

He also had a goal in two DFB-Pokal matches, two goals in the UEFA Europa League, and an appearance in the DFL-Supercup.

The following season, Draxler continued to prove himself to be an important first team player, scoring in matches against Greuther Fürth, Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach and in a high-scoring 5–4 victory against Hannover 96.

Draxler continued to play an important role after Holtby's departure and the signing of Michel Bastos, allowing Draxler to impress in his favoured attacking midfield position, including two goals in a 4–1 victory at VfL Wolfsburg.

While scoring in a 2–1 win to complete a league double over rivals Borussia Dortmund, Draxler became Schalke's youngest ever player to appear in 100 competitive games.

On 3 May, he scored the match's only goal as Schalke defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 1–0 at Borussia-Park.

A full international with over 50 caps since 2012, he was part of the Germany squad who won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 and was the captain of the side that won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, a tournament in which Draxler was awarded the Golden Ball trophy as the best player of the competition.

Draxler finished the 2012–13 season as Schalke's joint top goalscorer in the Bundesliga – along with striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – after finishing the season with ten goals.

He also scored two goals in three DFB-Pokal matches and one goal in six UEFA Champions League matches.

On 2 October 2013, Draxler scored in a 1–0 away win against Basel in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League.

This win took Schalke 04 to the top of their group.

In the final match of the Champions League group stage, Draxler opened the scoring for Schalke in a 2–0 victory against Basel, taking them through to the knockout phase of the tournament.

He finished the 2013–14 season with 2 goals in 26 appearances in the Bundesliga, two appearances in the DFB-Pokal and four goals in ten appearances in the Champions League.

He would go on to score 2 goals in 19 appearances in all competitions in the following season.

In total, he played 171 competitive matches for Schalke, scoring 30 goals, before transferring to VfL Wolfsburg in 2015.

On 27 July 2015, Schalke rejected a bid of €15 million from Juventus, after reports that the Italian side and Draxler had already agreed personal terms.

Schalke general manager Horst Heldt felt the offer was far too low and informed Juventus that there would be no further talks.

On 31 August 2015, Draxler signed for VfL Wolfsburg.

His final match was a 3–0 loss to Wolfsburg three days prior to the transfer.

He finished his 2015–16 account for Schalke with one goal in three Bundesliga matches and a DFB-Pokal match.

On 31 August 2015, Draxler signed for VfL Wolfsburg on a five-year deal for a reported initial fee of €36 million plus add-ons.

He scored his first goal for Wolfsburg on 15 September 2015, in a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow on his Champions League debut for the club.

On 31 October, he registered his first Bundesliga goal with the Wolves, scoring the winner after appearing as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen.

In the knockout phase of the 2015–16 Champions League, against Gent, Draxler scored twice in a 3–2 away win in the first leg.

On 8 March in the second leg at the Volkswagen Arena, he assisted André Schürrle for the only goal of the match as Wolfsburg reached the quarter-finals for the first time in club history.

However, media sources reported that Draxler had failed to fulfill expectations with the Wolves and often appeared like a "foreign body" in the team.

He ended the 2015–16 season with 8 goals and 7 assists from 28 appearances.

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Draxler announced that he wished to leave VfL Wolfsburg and that the club would allow him to transfer if it received an attractive offer.

In January 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain.

In May 2013, amid rumours of interest from English Premier League clubs as well as from Borussia Dortmund, Draxler extended his contract for a further two years, until 30 June 2018.