Witsel on why he chose Dortmund

“I felt that Dortmund is the right choice. I knew from the beginning that I have the quality to assert myself here and to help. Nevertheless, the BVB was a challenge for me, which I absolutely wanted to accept”.

Those are the words of Axel Witsel, as the 29 year old revealed why he chose a move to Borussia Dortmund above possible switches to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United who were both believed to be interested in signing him.

The Belgian international had previously been heavily criticised with choosing money moves above anything else, with his spells at Zenit St Petersburg and Tianjin Quanjian serving as proof of that.

Now, though, he’s been given the chance to spread his wings in one of the major European leagues for the first time (not counting Portugal), and to say that he’s been thriving since the start of the season would be an understatement.