Axel Witsel has officially retired from international football at the age of 37. The midfielder, who currently plays for Nice in Ligue 1, ends his career with the Belgian Red Devils having amassed 140 caps and been part of the sides golden generation that finished third at the 2018 World Cup. Witsel, since his breakthrough at Standard Liege, has been a recognisable player for Belgium over the years and his time with the national team should certainly be celebrated.

Witsel made his debut for the Belgian national team in 2008 and played his first international tournament in 2014 when Belgium qualified for the World Cup in Brazil. Witsel played four games during the tournament. In 2016 he scored his one and only tournament goal for Belgium during the Euros. He leaves Belgium with 140 games played and 12 goals scored.

Domestically, Witsel is still going. Since leaving Standard Liege in 2011, Witsel has played for Benfica, Zenit St Petersburg, Tianjin Tianhai, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Girona and most recently Nice. It had been suggested that Witsel would return to Standard Liege at some point, but that appears unlikely now. During his time with Standard Witsel one the Belgian cup and two league titles.