{
  "id": 1828321,
  "title": "Belgium veteran Witsel signs for Nice",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/belgium-veteran-witsel-signs-for-nice",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T22:50:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/08/19/belgium-veteran-witsel-signs-for-nice"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Belgian veteran midfielder Axel Witsel has inked a one-year deal with French club Nice, with the option to extend for another season, according to sources. The 37-year-old was recently linked with Nice after bidding farewell to Spanish side Girona, where he featured in 32 La Liga matches. Despite his efforts, Girona failed to escape relegation. Witsel's illustrious career has seen him don the jerseys of various clubs including Standard Liege, Benfica, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Tianjin Quanjian, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid. His move to Nice is seen as a strategic move to bolster the team following the serious knee injury sustained by captain Laurent Abergel during pre-season training. Witsel is expected to be fully fit and available for Nice's opening Ligue 1 match against Lorient this Saturday.",
  "summary": "Midfielder Axel Witsel joins to help cover for Laurent Abergel, who suffered a serious knee injury after signing from Lorient.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Belgium veteran Witsel signs for Nice",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/belgium-veteran-witsel-signs-for-nice-1830931",
        "published": "2026-08-18T22:50:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}