New Signing's Pre-Season Knee Blow Forces Nice to Sign Belgian Veteran

Pulse Sports Team 19:37 - 18 August 2026

Belgian football veteran Axel Witsel has joined OGC Nice. The French Ligue 1 side signed him as a free agent on a one-year deal, which includes an option for an additional season.

The 37-year-old midfielder, who recently represented his country at the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, last played club football for Girona in Spain. He featured in 32 La Liga matches for them last season but couldn't prevent the Catalan club's relegation to the second tier.

Previously, he also played for Standard Liege, Benfica Lisbon, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Chinese club Tianjin, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid. He boasts 140 caps for his national team.

Witsel is expected to fill the void at Nice left by Laurent Abergel's injury. The French defensive midfielder suffered a serious knee injury during pre-season, shortly after arriving from Lorient, as reported by AFP.