- Nadir Belhadj
-
Nadir Belhadj 
Personal information Full name Nadir Belhadj Date of birth 18 June 1982 Place of birth Saint-Claude, France Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Playing position Left Wingback / Left Winger Club information Current club Al Sadd Number 3 Youth career -1997 Jura Sud Foot 1997–1998 Besançon RC 1998-2002 Lens Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1998–2002 Lens 0 (0) 2002–2003 → Gueugnon (loan) 28 (1) 2003–2004 Gueugnon 36 (1) 2004–2006 Sedan 65 (3) 2006–2008 Olympique Lyonnais 9 (0) 2006–2007 → Sedan (loan) 37 (2) 2008–2009 Lens 19 (0) 2008–2009 → Portsmouth (loan) 16 (2) 2009–2010 Portsmouth 32 (3) 2010– Al Sadd 26 (0) National team‡ 2000 France U18 2 (0) 2004– Algeria 54 (4) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 05:00, 13 November 2011 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:00, 13 November 2011 (UTC)Nadir Belhadj (Arabic: نذير بلحاج , born 18 June 1982 in Saint-Claude, France) is an Algerian professional football player who currently plays as a left wingback or as a left winger for 11-time Qatar league champions Al Sadd and the Algerian national team.
Belhadj was one of three African players (Abdul Kader Keïta and Mamadou Niang) that played a vital role for Qatari team Al Sadd to beat South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4-2 after a penalty shoot-out to win the 2011 Asian Champions League. Belhadj scored the decisive penalty after the game had finished 2-2 in regulation time, holding his nerve to beat Kim Min-Sik.[1] This was the first win for a Qatari team since the AFC Champions League started in 2003 and ended five consecutive triumphs for South Korea and Japan.[2]
Contents
Club career
France
A left back who can also operate as a winger, Belhadj began his career at Ligue 1 club Lens, where he failed to make the first-team. He joined Ligue 2 FC Gueugnon on loan in 2002 and after making 26 league appearances signed permanently in 2003. Belhadj played 36 more Ligue 2 games for Gueugnon before moving to CS Sedan in 2004. Making more than thirty appearances in each of his two full seasons with Sedan in Ligue 2, gaining promotion in the second.
In January 2007 Belhadj was bought by French champions Olympique Lyonnais for €3.24 million and signed a lucrative four and a half year deal.[3] He was loaned back to CS Sedan until the end of the season and joined Lyon again in the summer of 2007. He made just 9 appearances for the club, being blocked at the left-back position by World Cup champion Fabio Grosso, and left the club in January. On 7 January 2008, it was confirmed that Belhadj had signed a three and a half year deal with his former club Lens for a fee of €3.6 million.
Portsmouth
On 1 September 2008, it was announced that Portsmouth had signed Belhadj on a season-long loan with an option to make the deal permanent.[4][5] He made his Portsmouth debut on 13 September coming on as a substitute against Middlesbrough at Fratton Park where Portsmouth went from a goal down to come back and win 2–1, with Belhadj playing a key role on the left with Armand Traoré. He also started in Portsmouth's first ever European match, a 2–0 win over Vitória de Guimarães and set Jermain Defoe up with a cross.[6] He also scored a long range goal against Sunderland away from home in a 2–1 win, which was the first win for new manager Tony Adams.[7]
Belhadj played a part in Portsmouth's 2–2 draw against Milan in the UEFA Cup. On 30 December, Belhadj signed a four and a half year deal with Pompey, costing €4.5 million paid to Lens,[8] keeping him at the club until 2013. He officially became a Portsmouth player on 1 January 2009 when the winter transfer window opened. On 27 January 2009, Belhadj was sent off for the first time for Portsmouth when he picked up 2 yellow cards in the 1–0 defeat against Aston Villa.[9]
Although he has not always kept a first team place, his recall to face Liverpool on 20 December 2009 was an inspired move by Avram Grant as Belhadj was able to keep former Pompey favourite Glen Johnson under control. Belhadj scored the first goal in the game.[10] A highlight of the 2009-10 season for Belhadj was a goal against local rivals Southampton in the FA Cup on 13 February 2010.[11] Belhadj's last appearance for Portsmouth was as a substitute in the 2010 FA Cup final.
Al Sadd
During the 2011 summer transfer market several clubs showed interest, such as Celtic, Wigan and Wolves with Al Sadd rejecting all proposals as they viewed Belhadj as an important member of the team.[12] He helped guide his team to the 2011 AFC Champions League title, defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final where he scored the game winning penalty in the shootout.[13]
International career
Belhadj began his international career in 2000 by representing France at the Under-18 level, making just two appearances for the team.[14][15]
On March 30, 2004, Belhadj made his unofficial debut for the Algerian national team in a 0–0 friendly against Belgian club R.A.A. Louviéroise.[16] On April 28, 2004 he made his official debut for the team in a friendly against China.[17][18] On June 5, 2007, Belhadj got his first international goal in a friendly 4–3 loss to Argentina.[19] He scored two goals in that game beating goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri twice from free kicks. Since his first call up, Belhadj has been a regular starter in the left back role for the team and occasionally fills in as a left winger as well. During the 2010 African Cup of Nations he was sent off in the semi-final against Egypt with a straight card, and received a 2 match competitive international ban, ruling him out of the match against Tanzania in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifying stages.
Since the World Cup and signing with Al-Saad in the Qatar Stars League, Nadir has seen his place at left back for the national side slip away to revelation Djamel Mesbah, ever since his calamitous appearance against the Central African Republic. He has not started at the left back position since.
International goals
- Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.
Goal # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 5 June 2007 Nou Camp, Barcelona (Spain) 
Argentina2–1 3–4 Friendly match 2 5 June 2007 Nou Camp, Barcelona (Spain) Argentina3–4 3–4 Friendly match 3 20 November 2007 Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen (France) 
Mali3–2 3–2 Friendly match 4 11 October 2009 Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida (Algeria) 
Rwanda2–1 3–1 2010 WCQ Honours
Sedan
- Runner-up: 2005
Lens
- Runner-up: 2008
Portsmouth
- Runner-up: 2010
Al-Sadd
Qatari Stars Cup
- Winner: 2010
- Winner: 2011
References
- ^ http://www.espnstar.com/football/afc/news/detail/item701759/Al-Sadd-crowned-champions-of-Asia/
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15609467.stm
- ^ "Algeria's Belhadj moves to Lyon". BBC News. 2007-01-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/6249351.stm.
- ^ "Pompey land Lens defender". Sky Sports. 2008-09-01. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_4078604,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Belhadj makes Pompey loan switch". BBC News. 2008-09-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/7591796.stm.
- ^ Hughes, Ian (2008-09-18). "Portsmouth 2-0 Guimaraes". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7615243.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ Lyon, Sam (2008-11-08). "Sunderland 1-2 Portsmouth". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7697426.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_article_id=1974
- ^ Fletcher, Paul (2009-01-27). "Portsmouth 0-1 Aston Villa". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7844589.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (2009-12-19). "Portsmouth 2 - 0 Liverpool". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8414887.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (2010-02-13). "Southampton 1 - 4 Portsmouth". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/8506623.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ http://www.lebuteur.com/en/actualites/premier-succes-de-yahia-avec-al-nassr
- ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=333495&cc=5901
- ^ "FFF : sélections, football, fiche, espoirs, féminines, masculines, UEFA, FIFA". Fff.fr. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m19ans/1067.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ "FFF : sélections, football, fiche, espoirs, féminines, masculines, UEFA, FIFA". Fff.fr. http://www.fff.fr/selections/m19ans/1068.shtml. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ "La Louvière 0-0 Algérie | Football algérien". Dzfoot.com. http://www.dzfoot.com/fiche-535.php. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ "Algérie 0-1 Chine | Football algérien". Dzfoot.com. http://www.dzfoot.com/fiche-568.php. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ "Algeria name friendly squad". BBC News. 2004-04-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/3622563.stm.
- ^ "Algérie 3-4 Argentine | Football algérien". Dzfoot.com. http://www.dzfoot.com/fiche-3194.php. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
External links
Algeria squad – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Fourth Place 1 Ousserir • 2 Bougherra • 3 Belhadj • 4 Yahia • 5 Halliche • 6 Mansouri • 7 Bezzaz • 8 Lemmouchia • 9 Ghezzal • 10 Saïfi • 11 Raho • 12 Babouche • 13 Matmour • 14 Laïfaoui • 15 Ziani • 16 Chaouchi • 17 Zaoui • 18 Bouazza • 19 Yebda • 20 Meghni • 21 Ziaya • 22 Abdoun • 23 Zemmamouche • Coach: Saâdane
• 2 Bougherra • 3 Belhadj • 4 Yahia (c) • 5 Halliche • 6 Mansouri • 7 Boudebouz • 8 Lacen • 9 Ghezzal • 10 Saïfi • 11 Djebbour • 12 Bellaïd • 13 Matmour • 14 Laïfaoui • 15 Ziani • 16 Chaouchi • 17 Guedioura • 18 Medjani • 19 Yebda • 20 Mesbah • 21 Kadir • 22 Abdoun • 23 M'Bolhi • Coach: Saâdane
Categories:- 1982 births
- Living people
- People from Saint-Claude, Jura
- French people of Algerian descent
- French people of Arab descent
- Association football defenders
- French footballers
- Algerian footballers
- Algeria international footballers
- 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players
- Algerian expatriate footballers
- French expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Expatriate footballers in Qatar
- Algerian expatriates in the United Kingdom
- RC Lens players
- FC Gueugnon players
- CS Sedan Ardennes players
- Olympique Lyonnais players
- Portsmouth F.C. players
- Ligue 1 players
- Ligue 2 players
- Premier League players
- 2010 FIFA World Cup players
- Algerian expatriates in Qatar
- Qatar Stars League players
- France youth international footballers
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