Sofiane Feghouli

Sofiane Feghouli

Feghouli playing for Algeria in 2014
Personal information
Full name Sofiane Feghouli
Date of birth (1989-12-26) 26 December 1989
Place of birth Levallois-Perret, France
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current team
 Valencia
Number 8
Youth career
1998–2003 Red Star Paris
2003–2004 Paris FC
2004–2007 Grenoble
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2007–2010 Grenoble 60 (4)
2010– Valencia 138 (20)
2011 → Almería (loan) 9 (2)
National team‡
2006–2007 France U18 2 (0)
2008–2010 France U21 3 (0)
2011– Algeria 35 (9)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 November 2015.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 March 2015

Sofiane Feghouli (Arabic: سفيان فيغولي‎) (born 26 December 1989) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Valencia CF and the Algeria national team. He operates mainly as a right winger, but can also play as an attacking midfielder.

Club career

Grenoble

Sofiane Feghouli began his career with Grenoble, after French team Paris Saint-Germain declined to sign him after a trial.[2] For the latter portion of the 2006/07 season, he was promoted to the first-team squad and given the number 33 shirt. He made his highly anticipated debut, at the age of 17, for the club on 27 April 2007 in a Ligue 2 match against Reims, appearing as a substitute. Grenoble won the match 1–0.[3] He made two more appearances that season, including his first start on the final match day of the season against Montpellier. Montpellier won the match 1–0 with Sofiane playing 56 minutes before being subbed out.[4] Following the season, he signed his first professional contract with Grenoble, keeping him with the side until 2010.[5]

The following season, he was handed the first-team number 8 and, despite being 17 years of age, was given a more important role in the squad. Despite having the pressure of being labeled the "new Zidane",[6] his contribution to the squad was successful, appearing in 26 matches and scoring 3 goals, helping Grenoble achieve promotion to Ligue 1. His first career goal was against the club he made his debut against, Reims in a 4–3 victory.[7]

Feghouli returned for the 2009–10 season, making his debut on 29 August in an 0–1 defeat to Rhône-Alpes rivals Saint-Étienne. After appearing in five more matches, it was discovered by Grenoble officials that Feghouli had torn the meniscus in his right knee. The knee was successfully operated on in October. Following the surgery, Grenoble officials, most notably CEO Pierre Wantiez, were extremely critical of the player. Wantiez questioned Feghouli's long delay in returning to the team and the player's motives regarding a transfer as Feghouli would be out of contract in the summer and was already talking to several clubs, most notably Spanish club Valencia.[8] Wantiez attributed Feghouli's recent moves to "bad advice" from the player's agent.[9]

Valencia

On 20 May 2010 Feghouli signed a four-year deal with Valencia CF.[10] He made his La Liga debut on 25 September, replacing Juan Mata in a 2–0 win at Sporting de Gijón.[11]

On 28 January 2011, after appearing sparingly for the Valencian side, Feghouli was loaned to fellow league team UD Almería, until June.[12] He appeared regularly for the Andalusians, which were relegated in the end of the season.

After returning from Almería, and profiting from Mata and Vicente's departures, Feghouli became a starter, and scored his first goals for the Che on 29 October 2011, netting a brace in a 3–1 home win against Getafe CF.[13] His performances for Valencia in 2012 earned him two Algerian player of the year awards, Le Buteur's Algerian Ballon d'Or and the DZFoot d'Or.[14][15]

International career

France

Sofiane was eligible for both Algeria and France. Sofiane had stated his preference was to play for France[16] and appeared on several France youth squads. On 12 November 2008, national team manager Raymond Domenech shortlisted the player for his pre-selection squad ahead of a friendly against Uruguay.[17] Despite this, Algeria national team manager Rabah Saadane contacted Sofiane by telephone in an attempt to get the player to play for Algeria in the team's 19 November friendly against Mali. Team captain Yazid Mansouri also contacted the player .[16]

Algeria

On 25 May 2011, it was reported that, whilst on loan at Almeria, Feghouli met with the President of the Algerian Football Federation Mohamed Raouraoua. Feghouli agreed to play for Algeria and was offered to come to the training camp being held in Spain for the match against Morocco. He was unable to attend the session, but was touched by the gesture, agreeing to be available for the Tanzania match instead.[18]

On 23 October 2011, the Algerian Football Federation announced that FIFA had officially accepted Feghouli's request to switch allegiances from France to Algeria, and that he was eligible to represent Algeria in international competition as of that date.[19][20] Two days later, on 25 October, Feghouli was called up Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodžić for a pair of friendlies against Tunisia and Cameroon in November.[21]

On 29 February 2012, Feghouli made his debut for the Algerian national team in a 2–1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win against Gambia, scoring the winning goal.[22] During qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he scored three goals in seven appearance for Les Fennecs.[22]

In the team's opening match of the 2014 World Cup, a 2–1 defeat to Belgium in Belo Horizonte, Feghouli scored with a penalty kick – Algeria's first World Cup goal in 28 years.[23]

Career statistics

Club

As of 29 November 2015[24][25]

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Grenoble 2006–07 3000—30
2007–08 26210—272
2008–09 26020—280
2009–10 5010—60
Total 6024000642
Valencia 2010–11 30111051
Almería (loan) 2010–11 9210—102
Total 921000102
Valencia 2011–12 30660130496
2012–13 2732083376
2013–14 32430103457
2014–15 33600—336
2015–16 1010073174
Total 1332011039918229
Career totals 2052416039925533

International

As of 20 August 2015[26]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Algeria 201282
201393
2014122
201562
Total359

Individal

References

  1. ↑ http://www.valenciacf.com/ver/36648/sofiane-feghouli.html?temporada=2014
  2. ↑ Spirited Feghouli rewards Grenoble belief
  3. ↑ Grenoble v. Reims Match Report
  4. ↑ Grenoble v. Montpellier Match Report
  5. ↑ Grenoble : Feghouli signe pro
  6. ↑ I'm the 'new Zidane'... No I am!
  7. ↑ Reims v. Grenoble Match Report
  8. ↑ L'imbroglio Feghouli
  9. ↑ Sofiane Feghouli et son "prétendu agent" dans le collimateur
  10. ↑ El Valencia ficha al francés Sofiane Feghouli para los próximos cuatro años (Valencia signs French Sofiane Feghouli for the next four years); Diario AS, 20 May 2010 (Spanish)
  11. ↑ El Valencia se gusta (Valencia likes it); Marca, 25 September 2010 (Spanish)
  12. ↑ Feghouli se va cedido al Almería hasta final de temporada (Feghouli goes on loan to Almería until the end of the season); Marca, 28 January 2011 (Spanish)
  13. ↑ Y de repente, Feghouli (And suddenly, Feghouli); Marca, 29 October 2011 (Spanish)
  14. ↑ GM (18 December 2012). "Feghouli Ballon d'or algérien" (in French). So Foot. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  15. ↑ Ait-Ouaret, Nabil (25 December 2012). "DZFOOT D'OR 2012 : Sofiane Feghouli élu meilleur joueur algérien par les internautes" (in French). DZFoot. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  16. 1 2 Sofiane Feghouli joue sur tous les tableaux
  17. ↑ Equipe de France. Douchez comme Carrasso
  18. ↑ "Au cours d’une rencontre avec Raouraoua à Paris : Feghouli dit oui à l’Algérie". Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  19. ↑ Qualification du joueur FEGHOULI Sofiane; FAF.dz, 23 October 2011.
  20. ↑ Feghouli qualifié pour jouer avec l’Algérie; DZFoot.com, 23 October 2011.
  21. ↑ EN : 31 joueurs pour le stage de Novembre; DZFoot.com, 25 October 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Sofiane FEGHOULI". FIFA. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  23. ↑ Grohmann, Karolos. "Algeria end 28-year wait for World Cup goal". Reuters. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  24. ↑ Sofiane Feghouli profile at Soccerway
  25. ↑ "Sofiane Feghouli" (in French). L'Équipe. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  26. ↑ "Feghouli, Sofiane". National Football Teams. Retrieved 21 August 2015.

External links

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