Official: Axel Witsel Signs for Atletico Madrid

After four years with Borussia Dortmund, Axel Witsel has officially found a new home. The Belgian midfielder, who was a rock in the center of the pitch for four years for BVB, put pen to paper with Atletico Madrid.

While Witsel was fantastic in his early years in black and yellow, his 2021 Achilles Tendon injury really brought his career with the club to a halt. He was never the same after that injury, even with his remarkably fast recovery that allowed him to compete in EURO 2020. This past season his pace and defensive ability were noticeably diminished, and had it not been for a plethora of injuries to key players, he probably would not have seen the pitch nearly as much as he did. With his struggles in the league and his contract winding down, it became apparent that his time in Dortmund was coming to an end.

Witsel will join an Atleti side that may very well suit his playstyle. He won’t be the only proper defensive midfielder in the squad anymore so he will be able to platoon much more, and he won’t have to cover as much ground under Diego Simeone as he did under Marco Rose.

Regardless of how he fares at Atletico, every BVB fan should wish him well. He was a great player and veteran leader who helped the team compete in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. To play us out, here’s one of my favorite Axel Witsel highlights, and it comes from his very first match with BVB: