Kjell Wätjen
German footballer (born 2006)
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Kjell Arik Wätjen (German pronunciation: [kjɛl ˈvɛːtçən]; born 16 February 2006) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Danish Superliga club Midtjylland.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kjell Arik Wätjen[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 February 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gevelsberg, Germany | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Midtjylland | |||||||||||||
| Number | 29 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | FSV Gevelsberg | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2025 | Borussia Dortmund | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2024–2026 | Borussia Dortmund | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2024–2026 | Borussia Dortmund II | 20 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2025–2026 | → VfL Bochum (loan) | 26 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2026– | Midtjylland | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Germany U16 | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Germany U17 | 7 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Germany U19 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2025– | Germany U20 | 5 | (2) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | ||||||||||||||
Wätjen won the UEFA European Under-17 tournament with the German U17 national team in 2023.
Club career
Wätjen started playing club football in the Ruhr area in the G-youth of FSV Gevelsberg. At the age of nine years, he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2015, after playing well at an academy training tournament a year before.[2] In his second season for the U17s team in 2022–23, the midfielder led the team as captain and set up six goals for his teammates in 12 games in the B-Junioren Bundesliga, in addition to scoring three times himself. He then became a permanent member of the BVB U19 squad in the summer of 2023, as did striker Paris Brunner. The German immediately became a regular in central midfield in the Under 19 Bundesliga. At the end of February 2024, alongside Youssoufa Moukoko and Julien Duranville, he was one of three U20 players in the squad for the Champions League round of 16 first leg against PSV Eindhoven.[3] Earlier that month, Wätjen had already been on the bench for the goalless draw against 1. FC Heidenheim in the men's Bundesliga after scoring seven goals in five consecutive games with the U19s.[4]
At the end of March 2024, Wätjen signed a professional contract with Borussia Dortmund valid until June 2028.[5] He was then part of Edin Terzić's squad in other games and won the championship in the western league with the Dortmund A-Youth team. On matchday 32 of the 2023–24 season, Wätjen made his Bundesliga debut for Borussia in the 5–1 home win against FC Augsburg, where he was in the starting eleven and set up Marco Reus' fourth goal.[6]
On 7 May 2024, Wätjen wrote his final high school exams before travelling to Paris on the same day and joining his club's squad in the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, which Dortmund won.[7] Wätjen would be part of the squad that lost with 2–0 against Real Madrid in the final of the 2024 UEFA Champions League, but remained unused.[8] On 24 June 2025, Wätjen moved on loan to VfL Bochum for the 2025–26 season.[9]
On 13 July 2026, Wätjen signed a five-year contract with Danish Superliga club Midtjylland, reuniting with his former youth coach Mike Tullberg.[10]
International career
Wätjen first played for Germany at U16 level. With the U17s, he took part in the European U17-Championships in Hungary in May 2023 alongside Dortmund teammates Paris Brunner, Almugera Kabar and Charles Herrmann.[11] He reached the final undefeated with the national team, scoring a stoppage-time goal in a 3–0 victory against Scotland in the group stage,[12] before clinching the title against France by winning on penalties.[13]
Wätjen rejected a call up to Germany's squad for the U17 World Cup in Indonesia in winter 2023 due to upcoming high school exams. His national team won the tournament.
Wätjen played at the 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, where Germany reached semi-finals.[9]
Career statistics
- As of match played 30 July 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2026–27 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Borussia Dortmund II | 2024–25 | 3. Liga | 20 | 5 | — | — | — | 20 | 5 | |||
| VfL Bochum (loan) | 2025–26 | 2. Bundesliga | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||
| Midtjylland | 2026–27 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Career total | 50 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 7 | ||
- Two appearances in UEFA Europa League
Personal life
Born in Germany, Wätjen is of Italian descent through his mother. Because of his name, he was erroneously reported to be of Swedish descent by Transfermarkt. His father is from Northern Germany, where Nordic names are common. After the fake news regarding his ancestry spread, the Swedish Football Association made immediate efforts to ensure his services.[14]
Honours
Borussia Dortmund
- A-Junioren-Bundesliga West: 2024[citation needed]
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2023–24 [citation needed]
Germany U17