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With PSG, Julian Draxler won 15 titles, the Champions League was not among them
Photograph:
Mario Hommes / DeFodi Images / Getty Images
After a long transfer poker, former Germany international Julian Draxler has now moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Ahli SC in Qatar. This was announced by his new club. Draxler received a contract until 2025.
Previously, photos had already shown the 2014 world champion wearing an Al-Ahli scarf at Doha airport before completing the medical check in the Qatari capital.
The 29-year-old Draxler moved to Paris from VfL Wolfsburg in January 2017, but has not played a role there recently. He was already on loan at Benfica last season. There, too, Draxler no longer played a major role.
At the end of last week, the attacking midfielder, who won 15 titles with PSG, agreed to a move to Qatar after initial concerns. His contract with the club in Doha is set to run until 2025.
Draxler follows Italian European champion Marco Verratti from PSG to Qatar. Verratti will play for Al-Arabi SC in the future. The French serial champion from Paris has been owned by the Qatar Sports Investments Fund since 2011. This makes it easier for the Paris-based club to transfer surplus players to Qatari clubs.
At Al-Ahli SC, Draxler is currently facing a team of nameless players who also have sporting problems: the first three games of the season have all been lost.
World champion and best player of the Confederations Cup
Draxler made his professional debut for Schalke 2011 in 04 and was considered one of Germany's greatest midfield talents. He played a total of 58 international matches, in which he scored seven goals. In 2014, he became world champion with the DFB team, Draxler himself was substituted in the 7-1 semi-final against Brazil.
In 2017, he won the Confederations Cup with the team and was subsequently named the best player of the tournament in Russia. He made his last international appearance in March 2022 in a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands.
mfu/ast/dpa