Al-Ahli defends Julian Draxler: Unusual exit before the final whistle

Substitution was not possible

First Julian Draxler scored two goals after coming on as a substitute, then the former national player caused speculation with an unusual departure from the field. During the 2-4 defeat of his new club Al-Ahli SC against Qatar SC, Draxler suddenly stalked into the dressing room after a pass back to a teammate – without being substituted. There was speculation that the midfielder had a frustrated reaction or gastrointestinal problems. But the muscles are said to have been the reason.

“I noticed my muscle. And the coach could no longer make substitutions. That’s why I went down to prevent a major injury. That’s all,” said the 30-year-old on “Sky”. In view of the reports and speculation, the club apparently felt compelled to publish a statement solely related to this situation. The 2014 world champion only left the field due to an injury and for “no other reason” and was one of the best players in terms of “discipline, commitment and respect for the club,” it said. He was not in the starting line-up due to a muscle injury.

Podolski to Havertz: Most expensive German footballers based on total revenue

16 Lukas Podolski | Total proceeds from all transfers: €40.7 million

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Transfers: 1. FC Cologne > FC Bayern (€10 million) > Cologne (€10 million) > Arsenal (€15 million) > Inter (loan fee €0.6 million) > Galatasaray (€2.5 million) €) > Vissel Kobe (€2.6 million) > Antalyaspor (free) > Górnik Zabrze (free)
As of September 18, 2023

15 Robin Gosens | Total proceeds from all transfers: €41.8 million

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Vitesse Arnhem > Heracles Almelo (€0.2 million) > Atalanta (€1.2 million) > Inter Milan (€27.4 million) > Union Berlin (€13 million)

14 Emre Can | Total proceeds: €43 million

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FC Bayern > Leverkusen (€5m) > Liverpool (€12m) > Juventus (free) > BVB (€26m)

13 Antonio Rüdiger | Total proceeds: €48 million

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Stuttgart > AS Roma (€13m) > Chelsea (€35m) > Real Madrid (free)

12 Thilo Kehrer | Total proceeds: €49 million

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Schalke > PSG (€37m) > West Ham (€12m)

11 Shkodran Mustafi | Total proceeds: €49.1 million

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HSV > Everton (free) > Sampdoria (€0.08m) > Valencia (€8m) > Arsenal (€41m) > Schalke (free) > Levante (free)

10 Maximilian Philipp | Total proceeds: €49.5 million

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Freiburg > BVB (€20 million) > Dyn. Moscow (€20 million) > Wolfsburg (€9.5 million) > Werder (loan)

9 Mario Gomez | Total proceeds: €49.6 million

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Stuttgart > FC Bayern (€30 million) > Florence (€15.5 million) > Besiktas (loan) > Wolfsburg (€1.05 million) > Stuttgart (€3 million) > End of career

8 Mario Götze | Total proceeds: €62 million

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BVB > FC Bayern (€37 million) > BVB (€22 million) > PSV (free) > Eintracht Frankfurt (€3 million)

7 Mats Hummels | Total proceeds: €69.7 million

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FC Bayern > BVB (€4.2 million) > FC Bayern (€35 million) > BVB (€30.5 million)

6 Mesut Özil | Total proceeds: €70 million

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Schalke > Werder (€5m) > Real Madrid (€18m) > Arsenal (€47m) > Fenerbahce (free) > Basaksehir (free)

5 Julian Draxler | Total proceeds: €90.5 million

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Schalke > Wolfsburg (€43m) > PSG (€36m) > Benfica (€2.5m loan fee) > Al-Ahli SC (€9m)

4 Timo Werner | Total proceeds: €96 million

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Stuttgart > Leipzig (€23 million) > Chelsea (€53 million) > Leipzig (€20 million)

3 André Schürrle | Total proceeds: €99.4 million

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Mainz > Leverkusen (€14 million) > Chelsea (€22 million) > Wolfsburg (€32 million) > BVB (€30 million) > Fulham (loan fee €0.4 million) > Sp. Moscow (loan fee €1 million) > End of career

2 Leroy Sané | Total proceeds: €101 million

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Schalke > Man City (€52 million) > FC Bayern (€49 million)

1 Kai Havertz | Total proceeds: €155 million

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Leverkusen > Chelsea (€80m) > Arsenal (€75m)

After his “extraordinarily good performance,” Draxler informed the coach and team doctor in the 87th minute that he would not be able to finish the game. They said they allowed him to leave the field. Since the quota of three permitted substitutions was exhausted, Al-Ahli SC had to finish the game with only ten players. A few minutes after his departure, Draxler returned.

Draxler moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Qatari Al-Ahli SC in Doha for 9 million euros in September. In terms of sport, he no longer played a role for the French champions. Draxler had already been loaned out last season, but did not find his way back to his old strength at Benfica Lisbon under coach Roger Schmidt. The former Bundesliga professional had openly admitted that the significantly higher earning potential was also a decisive factor in his move to the host country of the 2022 World Cup, which was controversial due to human rights violations.

World champions 2014: The German squad according to market values ​​at the time

23 Miroslav Klose | Club at that time & market value: Lazio – €1 million

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22 Roman Weidenfeller | Club & market value at the time: BVB – €5 million

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21 Erik Durm | Club & market value at the time: BVB – €6 million

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20 Shkodran Mustafi | Club at that time & market value: Sampdoria – €7 million

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19 Christoph Kramer | Club at that time & market value: M’gladbach – €8 million

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18 Ron-Robert Zieler | Club & market value at the time: Hannover 96 – €9.5 million

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17 Kevin Grosskreutz | Club & market value at the time: BVB – €10 million

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16 Matthias Ginter | Club & market value at the time: SC Freiburg – €12 million

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15 Benedikt Höwedes | Club & market value at the time: Schalke – €16 million

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14 Per Mertesacker | Club at that time & market value: Arsenal FC – €18 million

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13 André Schürrle | Club at the time & market value: Chelsea FC – €20 million

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12 Sami Khedira | Club at that time & market value: Real Madrid – €22 million

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11 Lukas Podolski | Club at the time & market value: Arsenal FC – €23 million

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10 Jérôme Boateng | Club at that time & market value: FC Bayern – €28 million

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8 Philipp Lahm | Club at that time & market value: FC Bayern – €30 million

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8 Julian Draxler | Club at that time & market value: Schalke – €30 million

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6 Mats Hummels | Club & market value at the time: BVB – €35 million

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6 Bastian Schweinsteiger | Club & market value at the time: FC Bayern – €35 million

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5 Manuel Neuer | Club at that time & market value: FC Bayern – €40 million

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4 Toni Kroos | Club at that time & market value: FC Bayern – €42 million

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3 Mario Götze | Club at that time & market value: FC Bayern – €48 million

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1 Thomas Müller | Club at that time & market value: FC Bayern – €50 million

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1 Mesut Özil | Club at that time & market value: Arsenal FC – €50 million

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