Axel Witsel on the occasion of the inauguration of the Belgian Red Court in Liège: “Yes, I am still available for the Red Devils”

Axel, you are the godfather of this urban land. What does this mean to you?

“It reminds me of my youth, my beginnings in the neighborhood fields, the agoras as we call them. Mine was in Vottem, where I come from, but I played in many places in Liège. We were there often with Christian Benteke, Mehdi Carcela or even Nacer Chadli My dream started like that, playing in the neighborhood Well, we didn't have the same quality of pitch as this one, but it was a bit similar. “

What can I say to these young people who are here this Saturday and to those who will come to play afterwards?

“To believe in it, to dream. When you come here as a child, you don't think about becoming a professional, but you can start to develop qualities already here. When I was little, I came home to do homework and I didn't I just wanted to come and play with friends, make friends and create lifelong bonds.”

Are you the sponsor of this field as a Red Devil… or as a former Red Devil?

“I'm a Red Devil for life. Well, I'm a bit of an old hand, seeing as I'll be 36 in January, but I've played 132 games.”

But what is your situation compared to the current team and Domenico Tedesco?

“I didn't announce that I was stopping the Devils again (Editor's note: he reversed his decision to stop for the Euro, after discussing with Domenico Tedesco). And I will be available until the end of my career. But it's up to the coach to decide who he calls. We are at a moment where it is not easy for the team. But it's never easy to move from one generation to another. You need patience, which you rarely have with national teams. It's not like in a club where you train every day and the process goes much faster to get your ideas across. There is quality in this new generation. I haven't forgotten that when I started in 2008 it didn't take a year or two to be at the top, but more than six years. You need patience.”

Have you stayed in contact with the coach?

“At the Euro, I was unlucky. I came back for the tournament after a year of absence, very excited to be able to help the team but unfortunately I got injured and I couldn't bring it on the field what I could. I would have liked the scenario to unfold differently Here, I didn't take the fact of not being included in the Nations League badly, I'm 'open'. month of September before announcing that he wasn't taking me back. He warned me so there's no problem.”

* Since 2022, the “Belgian Red Court” are city grounds developed or renovated by the Belgian Union as “ideal meeting places to promote local social cohesion”.