Antar Yahia

Infobox Football biography


playername = Anther Yahia
fullname = Anther Yahia
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1982|3|21
cityofbirth = Mulhouse
countryofbirth = France
height = Height|m=1.84
position = Defender
currentclub = VfL Bochum
clubnumber = 25
youthyears = 1996-2000 2000-2001
youthclubs = Sochaux Internazionale
years = 2001-2005 2005-2007 2007 2007-
clubs = SC Bastia OGC Nice → VfL Bochum ("loan") VfL Bochum
caps(goals) = 78 (2) 30 (0) 16 (1) 33 (2)
nationalyears = 2004-
nationalteam = footyflag|Algeria
nationalcaps(goals) = 33 (4)
pcupdate = May 18, 2008
ntupdate = September 6, 2008

Antar (also Anthar or "Anther") Yahia ( _ar. عنتر يحيى) (born March 21, 1982 in Mulhouse) is a French-born Algerian football player who plays for German club VfL Bochum. His family is originally from Sedrata (Souk Ahras) in Algeria and Yahia lived there briefly during his childhood before returning to France.

Club career

At the age of 14 Yahia entered the football boarding school of FC Sochaux.

Yahia started his professional career at Corsican side SC Bastia after he returned from an unsuccessful time at Inter Milan. After four successful years on Corsica Yahia was transferred to OGC Nice. [http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=310025.html] In the first season he played most of the games but at the end he became a substitute. So he decided to move on to another club.

English club Leeds United and German side VfL Bochum were interested in him. He did some training exercises at both clubs and both wanted to buy him. Yahia decided to move to the club from the Bundesliga. On January 30, 2007 he played his first Bundesliga match for VfL Bochum against Bayern Munich [ cite web|title=Tactical Formation|work=Football-Lineups.com
url=http://www.football-lineups.com/wiki/_match3573.php | accessdate=February 6 | accessyear=2007] In a short period he became an important player at this club and has currently a safe place in the central defense. When the loan contract was expired VfL Bochum bought Yahia for 800.000 Euro. He has got a contract till 2011 at the club.

International career

Yahia played twice for France at the Under-18 level. In 2004, he took advantage of new FIFA regulation allowing him to play for Algeria. He made his debut for the Algerian Under 23 team in an Olympic qualifier against Ghana where he would go on to score the only goal in the game. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/3365795.stm] He would make his debut for the Senior national team on January 15, 2004 in a friendly against Mali. He was also a member of the 2004 African Cup of Nations team that lost in the quarter-finals.

References

External links

*lfpfr|102572
* [http://vflbochum.de/webcache/spielervisi_en_1890_14.htm On the VfL Bochum homepage]