Lakhdar Belloumi

Lakhdar Belloumi

Belloumi with GC Mascara in 1984
Personal information
Full name Lakhdar Belloumi
Date of birth (1958-12-29) 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)
1994–1996 GC Mascara 38 (19)
1996 MC Oran 11 (2)
1997 GC Mascara 13 (3)
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.


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

Country

Individual

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 Benin Dragons de l'Ouémé
2–0
3–0
1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs
2. 24 May 1980 Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan Ivory Coast Stella Adjamé
4–2
4–2
1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs
3. 7 June 1980 Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers Ivory Coast Stella Adjamé
1–0
3–1
1980 African Cup of Champions Clubs
4.
3–1
5. 22 September 1989 Stade Habib Bouakeul, Oran Sudan Al-Mourada SC
1–0
4–0
1989 African Cup of Champions Clubs
6. ... ... 1994 Stade Akid Lotfi, Tlemcen Central African Republic 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 Spain Ol.
0–2
0–1
Friendly

Club

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 29 November 1979 Stade Frères Brakni, Blida Poland Bałtyk Gdynia
1–0
2–0
Friendly
2. 5 January 1982 Stade Francis-Le Blé, Brest France Stade Brestois
0–1
0–3
Friendly
3. 23 May 1982 Stade Gerland, Lyon France Olympique Lyonnais
1–2
1–2
Friendly
4. 5 August 1983 Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris France Racing Paris
0–1
0–1
Friendly
5. 1 February 1984 Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers East Germany FC Carl Zeiss Jena
2–1
2–1
Friendly
6. 5 February 1987 Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers Hungary 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 diversion against hostile events that Algeria team has suffered during the qualifying 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

External links

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