| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Karim Bridji | ||
| Date of birth | 16 August 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | RKC Waalwijk | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| DCG | |||
| 1994–2000 | Ajax | ||
| 2000–2001 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2002 | Eendracht Aalst | 15 | (2) |
| 2002–2005 | Volendam | 65 | (9) |
| 2005–2006 | Helmond Sport | 38 | (12) |
| 2006–2009 | Heracles Almelo | 42 | (3) |
| 2010– | RKC Waalwijk | 9 | (2) |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2004 | Algeria U23 | 7 | (3) |
| 2006 | Algeria | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 August 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Karim Bridji (born 16 August 1981) is a Dutch-born Algerian footballer. He currently plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch second division.
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Bridji started his playing career in the at the legendary Ajax Amsterdam Academy where he was captain of the team. He played one season with the senior squad before leaving to join Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht. After spending another season on the bench without any playing time, he joined another Jupiler League squad, KSC Aalst, where he featured 15 times and scored 2 goals. The following season, he returned to his native Netherlands to join FC Volendam who were playing in the second division, helping them win promotion to the Eredivisie, making 21 appearances and scoring 1 goal along the way. He played two more seasons with FC Volendam before joining another Dutch team, Helmond Sport. He would have a breakout year with them, making 38 appearances and scoring 12 goals. His performance earned him a contract with Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo.
Although born in the Netherlands, Bridji turned down many call-ups by the Dutch FA preferring to represent Algeria. He actually featured twice for the Dutch Under-21 team but only in friendlies thus preserving his eligibility to play for Algeria.
Bridji was capped by Algeria at the Under-23 level in 2002. He scored 3 goals in his first 3 games for Algeria's U23 team in a tournament against the senior sides of Oman, Palestine and Yemen.[1] He also played in 3 qualifiers for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
He made his debut for the Algerian national team in 2006 when he was called up by Jean-Michel Cavalli for a friendly against Burkina Faso. Bridji started the game and was subbed off in the 70th minute for Ali Boulebda.[2]