Lazhar Hadj Aïssa

Lazhar Hadj Aïssa

Personal information
Full name	Lazhar Hadj Aïssa
Date of birth	23 March 1984
Place of birth	Batna, Algeria
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1994–2003	MSP Batna
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2003–2004	MSP Batna	–	(–)
2004–2011	ES Sétif	137	(16)
2011–2012	Qadsia	–	(3)
2012	Sharjah SC	0	(0)
2013–	MC Alger	0	(0)
2015	Al Safa FC
National team^‡
2005	Algeria U23	8	(0)
2005–	Algeria	8	(0)
2010–2011	Algeria A'	9	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:00, 17 March 2012 (UTC)

Lazhar Hadj Aïssa (Arabic: لزهر الحاج عيسى‎) (born 23 March 1984 in Batna) is an Algerian professional football player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for MC Alger in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.

Personal

Hadj Aïssa is nicknamed "Baggio" because of his hair and his style of play's similarity to Italian legend Roberto Baggio.

Club career

MSP Batna

Hadj Aïssa started his playing career in 1994 with his hometown club MSP Batna, starting with the youth sides and progressing to become one of the most talented players at the club. In the 2003–2004 season, he made his full debut for the club in the Algerian Second Division, with his performances on the pitch attracting loads of interest from various domestic clubs.

ES Sétif

In the summer of 2004, Hadj Aïssa joined ES Sétif and made 25 appearances, scoring 2 goals, in his first season. The following season, he made 28 appearances and scored 5 goals.

On 10 June 2006, on the recommendation of Zinedine Zidane, Hadj Aïssa was offered a trial with Spanish club Real Madrid.^[1][1]

In his third season with the club, Hadj Aïssa helped ES Sétif win the 2006–2007 Algerian League, their first league title since 1987. He also played a crucial role in the team's triumph in the 2006–2007 edition of the Arab Champions League and was named the Best Player of the competition.^[2]

The following season, he helped the club win the 2007–08 Arab Champions League. However, on the domestic front, the club could only manage a third-place finish.

On 11 July 2008, it was announced that he was going on trial with Portuguese club Benfica.^[3] However, days later, he announced that he would not join the club because they were looking to loan him out.^[4] Two weeks later, he traveled to Ukraine and signed with Metalist Kharkov but the club would not match the price tag set by ES Sétif president Abdelhakim Serrar.^[5][6]

On 9 August 2009, Hadj Aïssa signed with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.^[7] However, a few days later, the contract was canceled after Al-Ettifaq faced financial difficulties and failed to pay the transfer fee to ES Sétif.

On 24 August 2009, it was announced that he was going on trial with English Premier League club Portsmouth.^[8] He trained with the club until the end of the transfer window, on 31 September but did not end up signing because of work permit issues. Portsmouth had been keen on keeping him, but due the administrative issues they were unable to do so.^{[9][10] [11][12]}

In 2010, he captained his side in the final of the Algerian Cup, in which they won 3–0.^[13]

Qadsia SC

On 15 August 2011, Hadj Aïssa signed a one-year contract with Kuwaiti Premier League club Qadsia SC.^[14]

Statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Algeria			League		Algerian Cup		Africa		Arab		Total
2003–04	MSP Batna	Ligue 2	-	-	-		-		-	-	-	-
2004–05	ES Sétif	Ligue 1	25	2	1	0	-		-	-	26	2
2005–06			28	5	4	1	-		-	-	32	6
2006–07			23	1	2	0	-		-	-	25	1
2007–08			10	1	1	0	3	1	-	-	14	2
2008–09			19	0	4	0	6	0	-	-	29	0
2009–10			22	5	5	0	11	3	-	-	27	5
2010–11			10	2	4	0	4	3	-		14	2
Kuwait			League		Emir Cup		Asia		Arab		Total
2011–12	Qadsia SC	Kuwaiti Premier League	7	2	-	-	-	-	-		7	2
Total	Algeria		137	16	21	1	-	-	-		146	16
Total	Kuwait		7	2	-	-	-	-	-		7	2
Career total			144	8	21	1	-	-	-	-	153	18

Honours

Club

• ES Sétif
  • Algerian Championnat National
    • Winner: 2006–07, 2008–09
    • Runner-up: 2009–10
  • North African Cup of Champions
    • Winner: 2009
  • Algerian Cup
    • Winner: 2009–10
  • North African Super Cup
    • Winner: 2010
  • North African Cup Winners Cup
    • Winner: 2010
  • Arab Champions League
    • Winner: 2006–07, 2007–08
  • CAF Confederation Cup
    • Runner-up: 2008–09
• Qadsia SC
  • Kuwait Emir Cup
    • Winner: 2011–12
  • Kuwaiti Premier League
    • Winner: 2011–12

Awards

• Best player of the Arab Champions League in 2007
• Best young player of the Algerian League in 2006

References

1. "Transf. : Hadj Aďssa ŕ l'essai ŕ Madrid le 10 juin". Dzfoot.Com. 26 April 2013.
2. "ACL : Lazhar Hadj Aοssa ιlu meilleur joueur". Dzfoot.Com.
3. "Transferts : Hadj Aďssa ŕ l'essai ŕ Benfica ?". Dzfoot.Com. 26 April 2013.
4. "Transferts : Hadj Aďssa ne veut pas ętre pręté". Dzfoot.Com.
5. "Transferts: Hadj Aďssa au Metalist Kharkov ?". Dzfoot.Com.
6. "D1 : Hadj Aďssa de retour au bercail". Dzfoot.Com. 26 April 2013.
7. "Transferts : Hadj Aяssa р Al Ettifaq (Arabie Saoudite)". Dzfoot.Com. 26 April 2013.
8. "Verts : Quelle destination pour Hadj Aďssa ?". Dzfoot.Com. 26 April 2013.
9. "Verts : MAJ Hadj Aďssa s'entraine avec Pompey". Dzfoot.Com.
10. "Transferts : Dщcision demain pour Hadj Aяssa". Dzfoot.Com.
11. "Lazhar Hadj Aissa: Portsmouth Want To Keep Me". Goal.com. 15 September 2009.
12. "English". Echorouk Online.
13. "Fiche de Match". Dzfoot.com.
14. "الحاج عيسى قدساوي بنصف مليون". Qadsiafans.com. 16 August 2011.

External links

• Lazhar Hadj Aïssa profile at uk.soccerway.com
• Lazhar Hadj Aïssa profile at dzfoot.com
• Lazhar Hadj Aïssa at National-Football-Teams.com