Julian Draxler (born 20 September 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al Ahli.

He made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke 04 aged 17 in January 2011, and in May of that year scored the first goal as the side won the DFB-Pokal final.

[9] In the 2011–12 season, Draxler played an important part in securing third place and 2011–12 UEFA Champions League qualification for Schalke,[10] appearing in 30 of 34 Bundesliga matches,[11] mainly on the left side of midfield to accommodate Lewis Holtby in a central role.

[12] The following season, Draxler continued to prove himself to be an important first team player, scoring in matches against Greuther Fürth,[13] Werder Bremen,[14] Borussia Mönchengladbach[15] and in a high-scoring 5–4 victory against Hannover 96.

[17] While scoring in a 2–1 win to complete a league double over rivals Borussia Dortmund, Draxler became Schalke's youngest ever player to appear in 100 competitive games.

[20] In May 2013, amid rumours of interest from English Premier League clubs as well as from Borussia Dortmund, Draxler extended his contract for a further two years, until 30 June 2018.

In the final match of the Champions League group stage, Draxler opened the scoring for Schalke in a 2–0 victory against Basel, taking them through to the knockout phase of the tournament.

[24] On 27 July 2015, Schalke rejected a bid of €15 million from Juventus, after reports that the Italian side and Draxler had already agreed personal terms.

On 8 March in the second leg at the Volkswagen Arena, he assisted André Schürrle for the only goal of the match as Wolfsburg reached the quarter-finals for the first time in club history.

[35] Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Draxler announced that he wished to leave VfL Wolfsburg and that the club would allow him to transfer if it received an attractive offer.

[36] On his return to the Wolfsburg team, Draxler was loudly booed by the club's supporters and described the following four months as "the worst first half of a season of my career".

[34] On 24 December 2016, it was announced on VfL Wolfsburg's website that Draxler would be joining Paris Saint-Germain on a four-year contract, for a reported fee of €42 million, pending a medical examination.

[39] On 7 January, Draxler made his competitive debut for PSG in a Coupe de France fixture against Bastia at the Parc des Princes.

[44] On 1 April, Draxler scored the opening goal in PSG's 4–1 win over Monaco in the 2017 Coupe de la Ligue final.

[57] 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.

[62] 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.

[63] Draxler was named captain of an inexperienced Germany squad for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup,[64] scoring a penalty kick in the team's opening match as they defeated Australia 3–2.

[77] 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".