# Julian Weigl
**Julian Weigl** (born 1995 in Bad Aibling) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Al-Qadsiah FC of the Saudi Professional League and has earned six caps for the Germany national team.[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.es/julian-weigl/profil/spieler/196792) He rose to prominence at [Borussia Dortmund](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-dortmund), where he arrived at 19 from second-division TSV 1860 München and immediately established himself in the [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga), later winning the [DFB-Pokal](https://www.edgepedia.org/dfb-pokal) in 2017 without playing in the final and the DFL-Supercup in 2019 before moving to Benfica in January 2020.[3](https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/eng/News/Overview/Borussia-Dortmund-sign-Julian-Weigl.html) • [4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Bad Aibling, Germany; 1.86 m, 77 kg, right-footed defensive midfielder[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler) • [5](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler) |
| Senior clubs | TSV 1860 München (2014–2015), Borussia Dortmund (2015–2020), Benfica (2020–2022), Borussia Mönchengladbach (2022–2025), Al-Qadsiah (since 1 September 2025)[5](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.es/julian-weigl/profil/spieler/196792) |
| Dortmund record | 171 competitive games, 96 wins, 41 draws, 34 losses, from 1 July 2015 to 1 January 2020[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler) |
| Honors | DFB-Pokal 2016/17 (without playing in the final), DFL-Supercup 2019, German runner-up 2016 and 2019, Portuguese runner-up 2020[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) |
| International career | 6 A-international caps for Germany (4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss); Euro 2016 squad member without an appearance[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler) • [4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) |
| League totals | 203 Bundesliga games with 6 goals; 77 games in Liga Portugal with 3 goals; 31 Champions League games with 1 goal[5](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler) |
| Benfica recognition | Named Benfica's player of the season for 2020/21[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) |
## Youth career and TSV 1860 München
Weigl grew up in Bavaria and came through three youth clubs: SV Ostermünchen from 2001 to 2006, TSV 1860 Rosenheim from 2006 to 2010, and TSV 1860 München from 2010.[6](https://www.transfermarkt.de/julian-weigl/transfers/spieler/196792/transfer_id/1027319) He progressed through 1860's junior teams, including the under-19 side in 2012/13 and the second team in the Regionalliga Bayern in 2013/14, before breaking into the professional squad in February 2014.[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler)
**Early leadership.** In 2014, at 18, he was named captain of the then second-division side, but lost the captaincy soon afterward after a late-night excursion.[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) He nonetheless made 38 second-division appearances for 1860 Munich in total, which was enough for Borussia Dortmund to sign him ahead of the 2015/16 season.[3](https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/eng/News/Overview/Borussia-Dortmund-sign-Julian-Weigl.html)
## Borussia Dortmund (2015–2020)
At Dortmund, Weigl was a surprising success as a 19-year-old, a player almost nobody had counted on at the start, and he later described his first season simply: he did not think or hesitate long, but played as well as he could and enjoyed every moment of 2015/16.[7](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/News/Uebersicht/Julian-Weigl-Von-oben-nach-unten-und-zurueck.html) The German football magazine kicker tracked his rapid rise in its labels for him, moving from "Nesthäkchen" (baby of the squad) in September 2015 to "Mittelfeld-Computer" (midfield computer) by October 2015 and later "Passmaschine" (passing machine).[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) Across his Dortmund years he made 171 competitive appearances, winning 96 of them, including 116 Bundesliga games.[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler)
**European and domestic results.** In the 2016/17 Champions League he played 9 matches and 799 minutes and scored once, with UEFA's technical report describing him as the balancing midfielder in all of Dortmund's team structures.[8](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/General/02/49/98/04/2499804_DOWNLOAD.pdf) He was a member of the Dortmund side that finished German runner-up in 2016 and 2019, won the DFB-Pokal in 2016/17 without playing in the final, and lifted the DFL-Supercup in 2019.[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) Injuries and dips in form repeatedly set him back in these years, and he was injured and absent for Dortmund's 2017 cup win.[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) In the 2019/20 season he played as a defensive midfielder alongside [Axel Witsel](https://www.edgepedia.org/axel-witsel), with a game built on technique, both long-range and short passing, defensive skill, vision, and positional awareness.[9](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/julian-weigl-201920-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics) A CIES Football Observatory report of that period ranked him fourth in its distribution ranking among players in the top European competitions, one of the footballers from possession-based clubs who monopolized the top places for passing.[10](https://football-observatory.com/IMG/pdf/mr15_eng.pdf)
## Benfica (2020–2022)
In early January 2020 Weigl moved to the Portuguese top club Benfica Lisbon, and the Bavarian-born midfielder matured there, being named the club's player of the season for 2020/21; Benfica finished Portuguese runner-up in 2020.[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) His standing changed when the German coach Roger Schmidt, in charge from summer 2022, stopped selecting him, even though Weigl had celebrated a short comeback in the German national team that same year. He left Benfica in September 2022 at nearly 27.[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) Kicker's career table credits him with 77 games and 3 goals in Liga Portugal, and lists a Liga Portugal Bwin title for 2022/23.[5](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler)
## Borussia Mönchengladbach (2022–2025)
Weigl returned to the Bundesliga with [Borussia Mönchengladbach](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-monchengladbach) on 1 September 2022 and stayed through 30 June 2025, making 94 competitive appearances for the club, 87 of them in the Bundesliga, with 30 wins, 23 draws, and 41 losses.[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler) • [5](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler) Benfica SAD announced on 5 May 2023 that it had reached an agreement with Borussia Mönchengladbach for the sale of the totality of the player's rights for €7,179,487.10.[11](https://media.slbenfica.pt/-/media/BenficaDP/Images/generic_content_pages/slb/SAD/2023/obrigacoes/OPS-OPT-Benfica-SAD-2023-Adenda-Prospeto) In his final Gladbach season, 2024/25, he made 33 Bundesliga appearances and created two assists.[12](https://theanalyst.com/players/169/julian-weigl)
## Al-Qadsiah and the national team
On 1 September 2025 Weigl signed for Al-Qadsiah FC of the Saudi Professional League on a contract running to 30 June 2027, with an option for one more year.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.es/julian-weigl/profil/spieler/196792)
For Germany, he debuted in the A-national team in May 2016 and was part of the Euro 2016 squad at age 20, though he stayed on the bench throughout the tournament.[4](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190) The DFB records 6 A-international caps with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, and he earned his last cap in May 2022 after the short comeback that year.[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler) • [13](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/521421) At youth level he played for the under-19, under-20, and under-21 teams, including 10 games for the Germany U20 side and 4 for the U21 team.[1](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler)
## Playing style
Weigl is a holding midfielder whose game rests on positioning and distribution rather than physicality. A tactical analysis of his 2019/20 Dortmund season credits him with the full toolkit of a central-midfield allrounder: great technique, the ability to play both long-range and short passes, defensive skills, vision, and positional awareness, usually deployed next to Axel Witsel in a double pivot.[9](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/julian-weigl-201920-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics) His career numbers reflect the profile: across 203 Bundesliga games he scored only 6 goals, while his value lay in ball circulation, as the CIES distribution ranking and his kicker nicknames both indicate.[5](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler) • [10](https://football-observatory.com/IMG/pdf/mr15_eng.pdf)
## References
1. [Julian Weigl – Spielerprofil, DFB Datencenter](https://datencenter.dfb.de/personen/julian-weigl/spieler)
2. [Julian Weigl – Perfil del jugador, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.es/julian-weigl/profil/spieler/196792)
3. [Borussia Dortmund sign Julian Weigl, bvb.de](https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/eng/News/Overview/Borussia-Dortmund-sign-Julian-Weigl.html)
4. [Julian Weigl, Munzinger Biographie](https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Julian%2BWeigl/01/9190)
5. [Julian Weigl – Spielerprofil, kicker](https://www.kicker.de/julian-weigl/spieler)
6. [Julian Weigl – Transferhistorie, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.de/julian-weigl/transfers/spieler/196792/transfer_id/1027319)
7. [Julian Weigl: Von oben nach unten und zurück, bvb.de](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/News/Uebersicht/Julian-Weigl-Von-oben-nach-unten-und-zurueck.html)
8. [2016/17 UEFA Champions League technical report, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/General/02/49/98/04/2499804_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
9. [Julian Weigl Scout Report At Borussia Dortmund 2019/2020, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/julian-weigl-201920-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics)
10. [Monthly Report 15 – Technical analysis of player performance, CIES Football Observatory](https://football-observatory.com/IMG/pdf/mr15_eng.pdf)
11. [Benfica SAD 2023 – Adenda ao Prospecto, Divulgação Regulamentar](https://media.slbenfica.pt/-/media/BenficaDP/Images/generic_content_pages/slb/SAD/2023/obrigacoes/OPS-OPT-Benfica-SAD-2023-Adenda-Prospeto)
12. [Julian Weigl, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/169/julian-weigl)
13. [Julian Weigl – stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/521421)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › German footballers born 1995 onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license