Julian Draxler

Schalke 04

Draxler made his Bundesliga debut on 15 January 2011 in a 0–1 loss to Hamburger SV. At that time, he was the fourth-youngest Bundesliga player ever and the youngest in Schalke's history. One week later, in Schalke's 1–0 win against Hannover 96, he became the second-youngest field player after Nuri Şahin to start a Bundesliga match. On 25 January 2011, Julian Draxler came on as a substitute for Peer Kluge in the quarter-finals of the 2010–11 DFB-Pokal against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second half of extra time. He scored his first goal for Schalke 04 in the dying seconds of the same match to ensure a 3–2 for his club. He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 1 April 2011 against FC St. Pauli. Draxler opened the scoring in Schalke's 2011 DFB-Pokal final victory over MSV Duisburg, volleying in from outside the area, scoring the first of what proved to be five unanswered goals for Schalke. He finished the 2010–11 season with 1 goal in 15 league appearances, two goals in three DFB-Pokal appearances and six UEFA Champions League appearances. In the 2011–12 season, Draxler played an important part in securing third place and 2011–12 UEFA Champions League qualification for Schalke, appearing in 30 of 34 Bundesliga matches, mainly on the left side of midfield to accommodate Lewis Holtby in a central role. He also had a goal in two DFB-Pokal matches, two goals in the UEFA Europa League, and an appearance in the DFL-Supercup. The following season, Draxler continued to…

On 9 August 2011, Draxler scored on his debut for the Germany under-21 side in the 4–1 win over Cyprus in a 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier. On 7 May 2012, he was one of two uncapped players called up into the provisional squad for the UEFA Euro 2012 senior side for Germany. On 26 May 2012, he made his debut for the senior side in Germany's 5–3 loss to Switzerland, coming on as a substitute to replace Lukas Podolski in the 62nd minute. His first international goal was scored on 2 June 2013 in a friendly against the United States. The goal was scored in the 81st minute to bring the score to 3–4, finishing a rebound off goalkeeper Tim Howard. On 13 May 2014, Draxler captained Germany in a goalless friendly against Poland in Hamburg, a match in which seven of his teammates were debutants. In June 2014, Draxler was named in Germany's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his first World Cup appearance as a 76th-minute substitute for Sami Khedira in the semi-final 7–1 victory over Brazil. On 13 July, he was an unused substitute as Germany defeated Argentina at the Maracanã Stadium to win its fourth World Cup. Draxler made only two appearances for the world champions during the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. However, he started on the left side of Germany's attack in four of their six matches at Euro 2016 finals, also appearing as a substitute in the quarter-final against Italy and converting his kick in the 6–5 penalty shootout win. He was named Man…

Draxler is two-footed and known for his speed and intensity in one-on-one situations. He is mainly deployed as a left winger but he can also be deployed as a right winger and as an attacking midfielder. In his Schalke 04 youth career, Draxler was deployed mainly as an attacking midfielder where he always felt most at home. In January 2014, Draxler was named by The Observer as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe. FIFA's official website describes Draxler as "tall, fast, with a keen eye for goal, and an exceptional talent in one-on-one situations from his regular position as a left-sided attacking midfielder".

Draxler was born in Gladbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia. He attended the Heisenberg-Gymnasium in Gladbeck before changing to Gesamtschule Berger Feld in 2011. In his childhood, he would regularly go with his father to watch Schalke 04's home matches and since then has been a fan of the club. Draxler married longtime girlfriend French-Laotian dancer Sethanie Taing in June 2025. They share two kids together.