Djamel Abdoun

Djamel Abdoun
Personal information
Date of birth14 February 1986
Place of birthMontreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionWinger
Club information
Current team
Lokeren
(on loan from Nottingham Forest)
Number21
Youth career
2002Paris Saint-Germain
2003Ajaccio
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2003–2008Ajaccio12(2)
2007→ Manchester City (loan)0(0)
2007–2008→ Sedan (loan)33(5)
2008–2010Nantes50(3)
2010–2011Kavala26(3)
2011–2013Olympiacos50(9)
2013–Nottingham Forest22(1)
2015–→ Lokeren (loan)4(0)
National team
2003–2004France U184(0)
2004–2005France U1913(2)
2005–2006France U208(0)
2010–Algeria11(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Djamel Abdoun (born 14 February 1986) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays for Lokeren on loan from Nottingham Forest F.C. in England as a winger.

In the summer of 2011, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos, on a free transfer from Kavala, due to their relegation to the fourth division. He has since won the double with Olympiacos, winning the 2011–12 Superleague Greece and the 2012 Greek Cup. In the summer of 2013, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Football League Championship club Nottingham Forest.

Abdoun is a former French youth international and was a part of the team that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, held in Northern Ireland and the 2007 Toulon Tournament. He opted to play for Algeria at senior level in September 2009, taking advantage of FIFA’s new ruling, allowing him to change his national allegiance despite being older than 21 years of age.[1] He made his debut for Algeria in a 0–0 group game at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations on 18 January 2010, against Angola.[2] He represented Algeria at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, where Algeria finished fourth, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Personal

Born in France to Algerian parents, Abdoun grew up in the eastern suburbs of Paris in the commune of Montreuil. His parents are originally from the villages of Tifrit and Biziou in the commune of Akbou, Béjaïa, in the Petite Kabylie region of Algeria.[3][4]

Club career

Abdoun started his career as a youth player for Paris Saint-Germain in 2002, where he was released at the end of the season. In 2003 he signed for Ajaccio where he made only 12 appearances in four seasons, scoring two goals.

Abdoun signed for Manchester City on loan in January 2007.[5] He made only one appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute on 28 January 2007 in a 3–1 FA Cup win against Southampton.[6] He returned to Ajaccio at the end of the season after Manchester City chose not to take up the option of making his move permanent.

Kavala

On 24 August 2010, Abdoun joined Greek side Kavala from Nantes, signing a three-year contract with the club. The details of the transfer were not disclosed.[7] In his first season with Kavala, Abdoun finished as the top assist man in the Greek Super League with eight assists in 26 matches. He also scored three goals and was named as the second best player in the league behind Ariel Ibagaza of Olympiacos.[8] On 23 May 2011, Abdoun's agent, Karim Aklil, announced that the player was very close to signing with Panathinaikos.[9] However, on 25 August 2011, he began training with Olympiacos and passed the traditional medical visit.[10]

Olympiacos

2011–2012 Season On 31 August 2011, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos, joining them on a free transfer from Kavala after they were relegated to the fourth division.[11] He scored his first goal against PAOK and his second goal against Panathinaikos. He played 29 games and scored four times in total in his first season at Olympiacos.

2012–2013 Season Abdoun managed to score his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, in a 1–2 home loss against German side Schalke 04. He also scored from the penalty spot against Aris Thessaloniki. His next two goals came again from the penalty spot; against AEK Athens away and Platanias at home. He scored his next goal against PAS Giannina in a 2–0 home win, which was assisted by Ariel Ibagaza. Days later, he scored against Atromitos from the penalty spot in a 2–3 home loss. On 27 February, Abdoun scored a goal from a free-kick in a 1–0 away victory over PAS Giannina in a Greek Cup match. His next goal came against AEK Athens in a 3–0 home win. His last goal for the season came against Platanias in a 4–0 away win.

Nottingham Forest

On 25 July 2013, Nottingham Forest Chairman, Fawaz Al-Hasawi, announced the signing of Abdoun on a 3-year contract.[12]

Djamel Abdoun scored his first goal in a home FA Cup Third Round tie against West Ham United. The goal came from a penalty awarded for a challenge on Jamie Paterson. Abdoun was insistent he was taking the penalty, even arguing with his fellow team-mates on the pitch, and his persistence paid off as he scored with an audacious chip from the spot. Forest went on to win the game 5-0.[13]

On 10 July 2014 Abdoun was informed he was free to find a new club and that he "had no future at Forest".[14] Since then he has not received a minute of playing time under Stuart Pearce.

International career

Abdoun represented France internationally at the Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 level. His most notable achievement was winning the 2007 Toulon Tournament with the French Under-18 squad.[15]

However, being of Algerian descent, Abdoun holds dual nationality,[16] and was also eligible to represent Algeria. On 15 September 2009, he was selected for the first time by head coach Rabah Saadane to join the ranks of the Algeria national football team for a qualifier against Rwanda.[17]

On 18 January 2010, Abdoun made his debut for the Algerian National Team coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute in a group game against Angola at the 2010 African Cup of Nations. He was named as part of the Algeria squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[18]

Career statistics

As of 28 February 2015[19][20][21]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ajaccio 2003–04 Ligue 1 100000–10
2004–05 Ligue 1 200000–20
2005–06 Ligue 1 722000–92
2006–07 Ligue 2 200000–20
Total 1222000–142
Manchester City (loan) 2006–07 Premier League 001000–10
Sedan 2007–08 Ligue 2 3355210–397
Nantes 2008–09 Ligue 1 2211000–231
2009–10 Ligue 2 2720010–282
2010–11 Ligue 2 100000–10
Total 5031010–523
Kavala 2010–11 Superleague 26320––283
Olympiakos 2011–12 Superleague 23262–6[lower-alpha 1]0354
2012–13 Superleague 27743–7[lower-alpha 2]13811
Total 509105–1317315
Nottingham Forest 2013–14 Championship 2214110–272
2014–15 Championship 000000–00
Total 2214110–272
Lokeren (loan) 2014–15 Belgian Pro League 4000000040
Career total 197232483013123732
  1. ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two in UEFA Europa League
  2. ↑ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Olympiacos
France

References

  1. ↑ http://www.dzfoot.com/news-4857/en-la-fifa-qualifie-abdoun-pour-l-en-d-algerie/
  2. ↑ http://dzfootball.free.fr/EN/Joueurs/fiche/Abdoun-Djamel.html
  3. ↑ http://www.lebuteur.com/en/actualites/abdoun%C2%A0-je-ferai-deux-rakaat-dans-ma-chambre-pour-remercier-allah
  4. ↑ http://news.fibladi.com/algerie-sport/?ida=39518
  5. ↑ "Stu has his nose against window". Manchester Evening News. 13 January 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Djamel pleased with Blues debut". Manchester Evening News. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  7. ↑ Algeria's Abdoun joins Greek side
  8. ↑ Abdoun 2e joueur de l'année en Grèce
  9. ↑ Abdoun très proche du Panathinaikos ?; DZFoot, 23 May 2011
  10. ↑ Abdoun signera à l'Olympiakos demain; DZFoot, 25 August 2011
  11. ↑ Verts : Djamel Abdoun officiellement à l'Olympiakos; DZFoot, 31 August 2011
  12. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23447613
  13. ↑ http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/05/west-ham-suckered-by-cheeky-penalty-from-nottingham-forests-djamel-abdoun-in-fa-cup-clash-video-4250073/
  14. ↑ http://www.nottinghampost.com/Djamel-Abdoun-told-free-leave-Nottingham-Forest/story-21446043-detail/story.html
  15. ↑ http://www.rlfoot.fr/Joueurs/ABDOUN_Djamel.htm
  16. ↑ "City star fined after airport row". Manchester Evening News. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  17. ↑ http://www.dzfoot.com/news-4844/cm-can-2010-la-preselection-pour-le-rwanda/
  18. ↑ "Official Players List" (PDF). FIFA.com (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). 4 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  19. ↑ "Djamel Abdoun". Football Database.eu. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "Abdoun French stats". LFP. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  21. ↑ "Djamel Abdoun UEFA stats". UEFA. Retrieved 21 July 2013.

External links