Axel Witsel’s future might be unclear as he contemplates his international career and his exit from Dinamo Zagreb, but the Belgian midfielder is taking nothing for granted after reflecting on his illustrious career and retirement from playing.
After seven seasons in Europe and Russia, Witsel came to the conclusion that he didn’t have the time to play every game in all four divisions. The nine-year career will end in August, and he is now a free agent and focusing on returning to the Chinese Super League and if a Chinese bid is on the table.
His time in China took Witsel to almost every walk of life outside of football, working on an artisan farm, in cattle ranching and even with the owners of a new Chinese team. A farmer’s boy who first came up with the idea to run a little farm and grow some of his own vegetables, Witsel now works with farmers, helps to purchase feed and other equipment and tries to help on a daily basis.
While he did his masters in electrical engineering at GE, Witsel continued to read for an MBA, gaining accounting experience which he has a future in that field.
Because he retired from football he has time to travel, including a trip to Mongolia for the bronze medal winning Belgium team at the 2017 World Cup. With his diploma and eight seasons under his belt, Witsel is now considering his future prospects.
“I am still the same person I was two years ago,” he said. “My life right now is focused on the future. As I am free, I want to use that to my advantage. I have options. I need to think about them. I have options to play for any team in the world.”
Witsel has been tipped to move back to his home country, but only if his medical records, both physical and psychological, are ‘comfortable’. In terms of professional prospects, Witsel said, he would like to play for one of the younger teams in the Premier League or in the MLS.
“In America they have amazing young players. I’ve seen much good players in the States and seen me sign with a team and it never happened. I’ve learned not to sign for teams that don’t have any chance.”
Despite his determination, the 31-year-old does admit that he has enjoyed his time playing in China and is going to miss the different lifestyle that comes with playing club football over the winter when England is in the midst of another busy fixture list.
“I can say that in the last few years I had more fun playing in China because I enjoyed the lifestyle. In China, you are on a different level. When I played with Salzburg, like just three players and I was playing in the grass. With San Francisco, everybody had black shoes and yellow shoes. I enjoyed it here.”
Witsel admits he isn’t in the best shape yet following a tireless season and, while he hasn’t set a timetable for himself as a football player, he might not be retiring for long.
“I am focused on my future,” he said. “Football has been really good for me, and I wouldn’t change football for anything in the world. But on Sunday, I will be wearing the striker’s shirt and that’s always a big challenge. I have been playing with people for many years and I will be really trying to do better than before.”
Like any great athlete, Witsel’s mission is to stay in shape while spending the off-season in the Chinese sunshine. He feels like a high performance athlete with an off-season and ongoing training program unlike many of his peers. Witsel said that his continuing training is why he can still play with the ball at his feet and his speed and acceleration would help him in the days he does nothing but training.
He added that his extended stay in China has taken him to amazing places and made him become more observant of the world around him. “It’s still my idea [to retire], but for the moment I don’t know anything. My future is flexible. I want to work with another manager, a coach that makes me feel at home.”
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