Lakhdar Belloumi

Lakhdar Belloumi

Belloumi with GC Mascara in 1984
Personal information
Full name	Lakhdar Belloumi
Date of birth	29 December 1958
Place of birth	Mascara, Algeria
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team	Retired
Youth career
1970–1973	O. Sempac
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1973–1976	O. Sempac	–	(–)
1976–1977	SKAF El-Khemis	–	(–)
1977–1978	GCB Mascara	26	(29)
1978–1979	MP Oran	25	(11)
1979–1981	MP Alger	30	(10)
1981–1987	GCR Mascara	60	(27)
1987–1988	Mouloudia d'Oran	56	(36)
1988	Al-Arabi SC	12	(4)
1989–1990	M. Oran / MC Oran	27	(12)
1990–1991	GC Mascara	4	(4)
1991–1992	USM Bel-Abbès	40	(20)
1992–1993	GC Mascara	12	(7)
1993–1994	MC Oran	27	(6)
1994–1997	GC Mascara	38	(19)
1997–1998	ASM Oran	17	(9)
1998–1999	GC Mascara	25	(4)
National team
1974–1977	Algeria U17	–	(–)
1977–1978	Algeria U20	4	(2)
1979–1980	Algeria military	–	(–)
1978–1989	Algeria	100[1]	(27)
1989	Algeria futsal	3	(1)
Teams managed
2001–2002	MC Oran
2002–2003	USM Bel-Abbès
2003	Al Tadamun SC
2004–2005	Algeria
2005–2006	GC Mascara
2011	Algeria beach soccer
2015	Algeria beach soccer
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Lakhdar Belloumi (Arabic: لخضر بلومي‎ Lakhḍar Ballūmī; born 29 December 1958) 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. He is said to have invented the "Blind Pass".^[2] He is awarded the 4th best African player of the century.^[3] He holds the record as the most capped Algerian player (with 100 national caps)^[1] and is also the third best goalscorer of the Algerian national team in all time (with 27 goals).^[4]

Belloumi's goal against reigning European champions West Germany earned Algeria a stunning 2–1 victory in their World Cup debut in Spain '82.^[5]

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 100 caps^[1] (FIFA recognize only 81 caps^[6] officially) and scored 27 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 the 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".^[5]

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.

Honours

Clubs

• Algerian League: Champion 1983–84 (GC Mascara) & 1987–88 (MC Oran)
• Algerian League: Runner-up 1986–87 & 1989–90 (MC Oran)
• African Cup of Champions Clubs: Runner-up 1989 (MC Oran)

Country

• Mediterranean Games: bronze medal 1979
• Africa Cup of Nations: Runner-up 1980; Third 1984, 1988
• Summer Olympics: Quarter final 1980
• FIFA World Cup: Participation 1982, 1986

Individual

• Algerian League goalscorer: 1978–79 with 11 goals
• Mediterranean Games 3rd best player: 1979
• Africa Cup of Nations best forward: 1980
• African Footballer of the Year: 1981; Third 1982
• Africa Cup of Nations goalscorer: 1988 (with R. Milla, A. Traoré & G. Abdelhamid) with 2 goals
• African Footballer of the 20th century: Fourth place
• CAF Merit Award: 2008 (to his career excellence)
• Algerian Footballer of the 20th century: 2009 (with Rabah Madjer)
• Algerian Footballer of the Year: Several awards

Clubs goals

African competition

Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	26 April 1980	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Dragons de l'Ouémé	2–0	3–0	1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs
2.	24 May 1980	Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan	Stella Adjamé	4–2	4–2	1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs
3.	7 June 1980	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Stella Adjamé	1–0	3–1	1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs
4.				3–1
5.	22 September 1989	Stade Habib Bouakeul, Oran	Al-Mourada SC	1–0	4–0	1989 African Cup of Champions Clubs
6.	... ... 1994	Stade Akid Lotfi, Tlemcen	AS Tempête Mocaf	3–0	7–4	1994 African Cup of Champions Clubs

International goals

National Team

Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 October 1978	Stade 17 Juin 1976, Constantine	Congo	1–0	3–0	Friendly
2.	9 April 1979	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Mali	1–0	1–0	1980 Summer Olympics qualification
3.	24 June 1979	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Libya	1–0	3–1	1980 African Cup of Nations qualification
4.	27 September 1979	Stadion Rade Končar, Šibenik	Yugoslavia	0–1	3–2	1979 Mediterranean Games
5.	29 September 1979	Stadion Poljud, Split	Greece	1–0	2–1	1979 Mediterranean Games
6.	21 December 1979	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Morocco	1–0	3–0	1980 Summer Olympics qualification
7.	13 Marsh 1980	Liberty Stadium, Ibadan	Morocco	1–0	1–0	1980 African Cup of Nations
8.	16 Marsh 1980	Liberty Stadium, Ibadan	Guinea	2–0	3–2	1980 African Cup of Nations
9.	20 July 1980	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk	Syria	1–0	3–0	1980 Summer Olympics
10.	24 July 1980	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk	Spain	1–1	1–1	1980 Summer Olympics
11.	1 May 1981	Stade 17 Juin 1976, Constantine	Niger	2–0	4–0	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
12.				4–0
13.	30 August 1981	Stade 19 June 1965, Oran	Upper Volta	3–0	7–0	1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
14.				4–0
15.	10 October 1981	Surulere Stadium, Lagos	Nigeria	0–1	0–2	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
16.	30 October 1981	Stade 17 Juin 1976, Constantine	Nigeria	1–0	2–1	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
17.	16 June 1982	El Molinón, Gijón	West Germany	1–2	1–2	1982 FIFA World Cup
18.	11 September 1983	Stade El Abdi, El Jadida	Tunisia	1–2	2–3	1983 Mediterranean Games
19.	28 October 1983	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Libya	1–0	2–0	1984 Summer Olympics qualification
20.	5 Marsh 1984	Stade Bouaké, Bouaké	Malawi	2–0	3–0	1984 African Cup of Nations
21.	17 Marsh 1984	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan	Egypt	2–0	3–1	1984 African Cup of Nations
22.	10 October 1984	Otto-Grotewohl-Stadion, Aue	East Germany	5–2	5–2	Friendly
23.	8 Marsh 1985	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Mauritania	1–0	4–0	1986 African Cup of Nations qualification
24.	14 December 1986	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Ivory Coast	1–0	2–1	Friendly
25.	11 January 1987	Stade El Menzah, Tunis	Tunisia	0–1	0–2	1987 All-Africa Games qualification
26.	13 Marsh 1988	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca	Ivory Coast	0–1	1–1	1988 African Cup of Nations
27.	26 Marsh 1988	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca	Morocco	1–1	1–1	1988 African Cup of Nations

National Team (not counted)

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	11 February 1982	El Molinón, Gijón	Spain Ol.	0–2	0–1	Friendly

Club

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	29 November 1979	Stade Frères Brakni, Blida	Bałtyk Gdynia	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2.	5 January 1982	Stade Francis-Le Blé, Brest	Stade Brestois	0–1	0–3	Friendly
3.	23 May 1982	Stade Gerland, Lyon	Olympique Lyonnais	1–2	1–2	Friendly
4.	5 August 1983	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris	Racing Paris	0–1	0–1	Friendly
5.	1 February 1984	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	FC Carl Zeiss Jena	2–1	2–1	Friendly
6.	5 February 1987	Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers	Videoton FC	1–0	2–1	Friendly

News

Belloumi was a subject of an arrest warrant in Egypt for almost 20 years following an incident in Cairo in 1989 when after a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match a brawl erupted to the hostel residence of the Algeria team, between players of the Algerian squad and Egyptian supporters that left an Egyptian fan, doctor by profession, seriously injured in his eye by a broken bottle which was attributed to be thrown by Belloumi. From 2006, he was added among the lists of the accused in Interpol.

The Algerian authorities accused Egypt of wanting deliberately to accuse Belloumi who was the biggest star of the country, to make divertion against hostile events that Algeria team has suffered during the qualifiying match in Cairo. 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.^[7][8][9]

References

1. Lakhdar Belloumi - Century of International Appearances
2. "Les chroniques de Laurent Lasne – ''letierslivre.com''" (in French). Letierslivre.com.
3. Ingo Faulhaber. "Africa's best Player of the Century – IFFHS". Iffhs.de.
4. Goalscoring for Algeria National Team
5. Hart, Simon (13 June 2010). "Algeria struggle to match the fame of Belloumi and the shame of Spain '82 – International – Football". The Independent.
6. Lakhdar BELLOUMI – FIFA Player profile
7. "Belloumi to Echorouk: "Goalkeeper Kadri was responsible for eye injury suffered by Egyptian doctor in 1989"". Echoroukonline.com. 3 September 2012.
8. "Interpol hands over Belloumi a document rescinding international arrest warrant issued against him". Echoroukonline.com. 3 September 2012.
9. "Belloumi called for the first time to the victim". Lebuteur.com.

External links

• FIFA Player Statistics: Lakhdar BELLOUMI at fifa.com
• Lakhdar Belloumi at National-Football-Teams.com
• Profile at mouloudia.com (MC Oran official site)
• Profile at kazeo.com (MC Alger fansite)
• Lakhdar Belloumi interview at DZFoot.com (French)
• Lakhdar Belloumi: The Wizard of Maghreb at A Halftime Report