‘Flop’ at Benfica looks back on time at the Luz, says he never had the... | OneFootball

Julian Draxler, the German international who played for Benfica for one season, gave an interview to Le Parisien in France and did not forget his time at Luz. The attacking midfielder, who arrived in Lisbon on loan from PSG, came with high expectations, but admits that injuries did not allow him to play at his own pace and, eventually, to succeed.

Julian Draxler is currently at Al Ahli in Qatar and confesses that he is having a wonderful experience: "I feel fulfilled in my family life, as a father, husband, and football player. I am very happy in Qatar. My first year was a bit complicated, as was the end of my story at PSG and then the loan spell at Benfica, where I ended up getting injured. I never had the rhythm necessary to regain my level. But last season was great and that's why I renewed my contract until 2028."

"Today I am very happy. I have a lot of affection for PSG, I had wonderful years there. It was a team full of stars and it was not always easy for me. I regret the way it ended after six seasons. When I returned from my loan at Benfica in 2023, PSG made it clear that they were not counting on me. I wanted to find a project that would catch my attention. At that time I felt that the end might be coming, but then I managed to go to Qatar," the German emphasized.

Julian Draxler explained his move to the Middle East: "We had some problems with an attempted robbery that happened shortly before I went to Qatar. I kept thinking about it. I was always saying it was too soon [to move] and then that happened. I looked at my wife and said, 'I think we really have to go to Qatar...'. That was what convinced me. It wasn't always easy to walk around Paris with my young son, I needed to hide under a cap. I'm not Neymar, but if you play for PSG it's hard to have a normal life. In Qatar, it's the opposite. You look people in the eye. And that's the normal life I want to have."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.