After enjoying his Tuesday afternoon with his family in the streets of Bordeaux, Axel Witsel concentrates 100% on the quarter-final between Belgium and Wales. Rumours about the transfers of Batshuayi and Meunier do not make him worry about his future: ” I already said I’m 27 and it’s the right time to go to a top club in Europe. But at the moment, I try not to think about it and have the best euro I can with the team. ”
With 73 appearances for the Red Devils, Axel Witsel exceeds players like Vincent Kompany and even the current coach Marc Wilmots . Do you feel like the leader of this team?
” Not a leader like Vincent. Off the pitch, Vincent is a leader. He often speaks. I’m more of a leader on and off the field. But hey, if I have to speak, I will do. We will say that it’s not in my nature because I am rather someone quite reserved. ”
Witsel then addresses more personal questions and speaks particularly of his childhood where he instead supported the France team than the Red Devils. ” My role model at the Red Devils when I was young? I’m not sure. My model was Zidane . To be honest when I was younger I watched most matches of the French team than Belgium’s because my father was born in Martinique and I watched games with him. ”
After talking about his childhood and his presence in the academy of Standard Liege, his grandfather and his friendship with Chadli, Witsel is back on the balance sheet of the Red Devils during the Euro and its ratio of 95% pass completion . ” We started on a bad note against Italy but now we are getting stronger. For myself, the more matches I have, the better I feel. I’m doing my best not to lose the ball. It’s one of my qualities to have as much success in my passes.”
Impossible to miss the form of Eden Hazard, who is fundamental to the rest of the tournament. ” If we want to go far, we will need Eden Hazard to be great. It is a pleasure to play with him. He has all the qualities. He is very fast, technically above the normal and in addition he is decisive. ”
The other star of the quarterfinals, who the Devils will play against on Friday goes by the name of Gareth Bale. Witsel is wary but is aware that they will not focus exclusively on him. ” The Welsh team is a danger because they have already passed. Against us, they have nothing to lose. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are both players that will need to be most careful with. But we will not make a anti-Bale plan. We will play our game as we have always done so far. We can go all the way but it is important to take match by match.
