Lakhdar Belloumi

Lakhdar Belloumi

Lakhdar Belloumi in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Lakhdar Belloumi
Date of birth	December 29, 1958 (1958-12-29)
Place of birth	Mascara, Algeria
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Retired
Youth career
1970–1971	O. Sempac Mascara
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1976–1977	GC Mascara
1977–1979	MC Oran
1979–1981	MC Alger
1981–1986	GC Mascara
1986–1988	MC Oran
1988–1989	Al-Arabi SC	12	(4)
1989–1990	MC Oran
1990–1993	GC Mascara
1993–1994	MC Oran
1994–1999	GC Mascara
National team
1974–1977	Algeria U17
1977–1978	Algeria U20
1978–1989	Algeria	147	(34)
Teams managed
2001–2002	MC Oran
2002–2003	USM Bel-Abbès
2003	Umm-Salal SC
2004–2005	Algeria
2005–2006	GC Mascara
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Lakhdar Belloumi (Arabic: لخضر بلومي‎) (born December 29, 1958 in Mascara, Algeria) is a former Algerian football player and manager. He is widely considered as the best Algerian player of all time and one of the best players in Africa and the world. He is said to have invented the Blind Pass. He is awarded the 4th best African player of the century.

Belloumi's goal against reigning European champions West Germany earned Algeria a stunning 2-1 victory in their World Cup debut in Spain '82.

International career

He participated at 1980 Summer Olympics, at two editions of FIFA World Cup (1982 and 1986), at four editions of Africa Cup of Nations (1980, 1982, 1984 and 1988) and at two editions of Mediterranean Games (1979 and 1983). For Algeria national football team he got 147 caps (FIFA recognize only 100 caps) and scored 34 goals. In 1981, he was awarded African Footballer of the Year. Belloumi scored the winning goal in the 2-1 win over West Germany in 1982 world cup, and was a pivotal player in the Algerian national team throughout the 1980s. His last game for Algeria came in 1989.

Club career

Lakhdar Belloumi, Algerian champion with GC Mascara 1984

Belloumi spent almost his entire career at home (apart from a brief spell in Qatar late in his career), most notably with his hometown club GC Mascara, as well as MC Oran. He played also with MC Alger for two years during his military service in Algiers. He won two domestic championships during his career in 1984 with GC Mascara and in 1988 with MC Oran. After returning for another spell in Mascara in 1994, he continued playing until retirement in 1999.

Belloumi had contact with various European clubs, including Barcelona, before Spain '82, but "the law did not allow us to leave the country before the age of 27". In 1985 he caught the eye of Juventus after shining in a friendly against them, only to miss out on a dream transfer after breaking his leg in the African Champions' Cup in Libya against Al-Ittihad. He was understandably disappointed "It was a real shame for me that I couldn't go".

Often overlooked for international recognition due to not joining a major European club, despite the interest of major European clubs (Juventus were reportedly very keen to acquire his services despite the performances of Michel Platini). Belloumi was recognised by any who watched him play, including the great Pele, as a fantastic player. He was not out of place as an international playmaker during the era in which Diego Maradona and Michel Platini both played, having starred for the great Algerian side of the 1982 World Cup.

Honours

Personnel

• Best scorer of the Algerian League 1978 with MC Oran with 11 goals
• 3rd best player in the football tournament of the Mediterranean Games 1979 in Split
• Best forward in 1980 African Cup of Nations in Nigeria
• African golden ball in 1981 (African Footballer of the Year)
• 3rd African Footballer of the Year in 1982
• 3rd best scorer in 1984 African Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire with 2 goals
• 2nd best player in 1984 African Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire
• Best scorer in 1988 African Cup of Nations with Roger Milla, Gamal Abdel Hamid & Abdoulaye Traoré with 2 goals
• 2nd best scorer of Algerian team in all times with 34 goals
• 4th best African player of the century
• Merit Award from the CAF to his career Excellence 2008
• Best Algerian player of the century with Rabah Madjer 2009

With clubs

• Algerian League Champion in 1984 with GC Mascara and 1988 with MC Oran
• 2nd in the Algerian League in 1987 & 1990 with MC Oran
• 2nd in the African Champions League in 1989 with MC Oran

With the Algerian national team

• Bronze medal in the 1979 Mediterranean Games in Split
• 2nd in the final of the 1980 African Cup of Nations in Nigeria
• Quarter final round in the 1980 Summer Olympics Games in Moscow
• 2 participations in FIFA World Cup of 1982 in Spain & 1986 in Mexico
• 3nd in the African Cup of Nations of 1984 in Côte d'Ivoire & 1988 in Morocco

News

Belloumi was a subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol for almost 20 years following an incident in Cairo in 1989 when after a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match a brawl erupted between players of the Algerian squad and Egyptian supporters that left an Egyptian doctor seriously injured in his eye by a broken bottle which was attributed to be thrown by Belloumi. Belloumi always claimed his innocence and teammates present at the incident had also testified before the Algerian justice that it was goalkeeper Kamel Kadri responsible for inflicting the injury. The warrant was finally rescinded in April 2009 and Belloumi was cleared of all legal proceedings at the initiative of Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in collaboration of the Algerian and Egyptian authorities.

External links

• FIFA Player Statistics: Lakhdar BELLOUMI - fifa.com
• Career Stats (National Football Teams)
• (MC Oran official site)
• Profile (MC Alger fansite)
• Lakhdar Belloumi interview at DZ Foot (French)