The first thing any football fan, pundit, or coach will notice about Julian Draxler is his light-footedness and ability to use both legs with equal precision, a skill that relatively few players can boast. The winger has played for several heavyweights in Germany and France. He began his career in Germany at the age of 17 with Schalke 04, and Draxler’s career would take him to VfL Wolfsburg in 2015 and the French titan PSG in 2017. He has played alongside global talents like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Di Maria, and Cavani.
He is a German international and has represented his country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
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Julian Draxler Bio
Draxler was born on September 20, 1993, in Gladbeck, Germany. Here he developed his love for the game of football. He grew up as an enthusiastic Schalke 04 fan, as his father regularly took him to the club’s home games.
Julian Draxler at Schalke
The winger bowed to the Bundesliga with Schalke 04 in a match against Hamburger SV in January 2011, making him the youngest player in the history of his club to play in the league. He scored his first goal for the club as a substitute in the final seconds of a DFB-Pokal quarter-final match. His goal brought the game to a close and secured a 3-2 victory for Schalke. He ended the season with 15 Bundesliga, three DFB Cup, and six UEFA Champions League games, scoring four goals in all.
Next season, Julian Draxler doubled his Bundesliga appearances in 30 league games. He also played in the DFB Cup, the UEFA Europa League, and the DFL Supercup. Schalke 04 finished third in the Bundesliga protocol and thus qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the most part.
For the 2012-2013 season, Draxler was moved to his preferred offensive midfield position and rewarded the club with an improved season. The attacker ended the season with 10 Bundesliga goals, making him the top scorer of his Bundesliga team alongside veteran striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. He also scored goals in the DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League.
Amidst rumors of interest from English clubs, the light-footed striker extended his contract with Schalke. His last two seasons with the club were relatively underwhelming, however, as he did not reach the high points he had achieved in the 2012-2013 season. He remained a regular player, however. Draxler finally signed with VfL Wolfsburg on 31 August 2015, three days after his team lost to him in the Bundesliga.
Julian Draxler at VfL Wolfsburg
After signing a five-year contract with the club, he ended up spending only one and a half seasons with the club. In the 2015-2016 season, he scored crucial goals against clubs such as CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, and Ghent. With his contributions, Wolfsburg reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history. Draxler rounded off the year with 8 goals and 7 assists in 28 appearances.
In the post-season, he expressed his interest in leaving the club, partly due to media coverage last season which indicated that he did not fit into the team. There was interest from football giants such as PSG and Arsenal, but he would stay with the club for the first half of the season before joining PSG on 3 January 2017.
Julian Draxler at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
The striker’s French stay got off to a wonderful start, scoring four goals for the club in his first five games. He scored his first goal in the 89th minute of his debut match against Bastia, where PSG defeated Bastia 7-0. On Valentine’s Day, Julian scored his first European goal for the club in his Champions League debut against Barcelona. PSG won the game 4-0 and on 1 April scored another goal to beat Monaco 4-1 in the final of the 2017 Coupe de la Ligue.
He ended the season with 10 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions. In the 2017-2018 season, however, Draxler saw his chances of playing seriously limited by the arrival of former Barcelona ace Neymar and Monaco prodigy Kylian Mbappe on major money transfers. As a result, he could only score 5 goals in the entire season.
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Julian Draxler International Career
Draxler bowed to the German U21 national team in 2011 and played with them in the qualifying campaign for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, before making his debut for the senior national team at UEFA Euro 2012 on 26 May 2012 when he lost 5-3 to Switzerland.
Julian was part of the German squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, not scoring goals in the former but opening his goal account in the latter and even winning a Man of the Game award for his performance against Slovakia. He was captain of the national team during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. The striker led them to the title and won the Golden Boy for the best player in the competition.
Julian Draxler’s Girlfriend, Wife
It is not clear how long Julian Draxler was in a relationship with his girlfriend Lena Stiffel, as the focus was always on his efforts on the ground. However, it is known that he has known Lena since the duo’s childhood. Currently, the PSG attacker is engaged to her.
Julian Draxler’s body measurements: height and weight
The striker has a lanky frame, which is certainly one of the reasons for his speed. He stands at a respectable height of 1.87 m (6 feet 2 inches) and has a healthy weight of around 72 kg (158.7 lbs).
