Nadir Belhadj ( ar, نذير بلحاج ; born 18 June 1982) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays for

Muaither Muaither ( ar, معيذر) is a district of Al Rayyan City in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan. Etymology Referencing the area's geography, 'muaither' is derived from the Arabic 'mathar', meaning "place where animals are kept". ...

as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. An Algerian international, Belhadj was a former French youth international having played for the French Under-18's for a couple of games in 2000. Belhadj was among the first footballers to profit from the 2004 change in

FIFA eligibility rules As the governing body of association football, FIFA is responsible for maintaining and implementing the rules that determine whether an association football player is eligible to represent a particular country in officially recognised internatio ...

as he had played as a French youth international. After his switch of national allegiance to Algeria, he was called up to an unofficial friendly on 30 March 2004 against

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

club R.A.A. Louviéroise. He made his senior international debut in a friendly against China on 28 April 2004. He featured for Algeria at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the semi-finals, and the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. On 4 May 2012, he announced his international retirement, ending his career with 54 caps and 4 goals. Belhadj played a vital role for

Qatari Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

club

Al Sadd Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in th ...

in the 2011 Asian Champions League final, by beating

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out. Belhadj scored the decisive penalty after the game had finished 2–2 in regulation time, holding his nerve to beat Kim Min-Sik. This was the first win for a

club since the AFC Champions League started in 2003, and ended five consecutive triumphs for

and Japan.

Personal life

Belhadj was born in Saint-Claude, Jura to Algerian parents, both from Oran. He started playing with Jura Sud Foot until 1997. He played after with

Racing Besançon Racing Besançon is a French association football, football club based in Besançon. It was founded in 1904. They play at the Stade Léo Lagrange. The club currently competes in the Championnat National 2 the fourth tier of France Football. Histo ...

Club career

France

who can also operate as a winger, Belhadj began his career at Ligue 1 club Lens, where he failed to make the first-team. He joined Ligue 2 FC Gueugnon on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

in 2002 and after making 26 league appearances signed permanently in 2003. Belhadj played 36 more Ligue 2 games for Gueugnon before moving to

CS Sedan Club Sportif Sedan Ardennes, commonly referred to as CS Sedan or simply Sedan (), is a French association football club based in Sedan. The club was formed in 1919 and plays its home matches at the Stade Louis Dugauguez located within the ci ...

in 2004. Making more than thirty appearances in each of his two full seasons with Sedan in Ligue 2, gaining promotion in the second. In January 2007, Belhadj signed for French champions Olympique Lyonnais for €3.24 million on a four-and-a-half-year contract. He was loaned back to

until the end of the season and joined

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

again in the summer of 2007. He made just 9 appearances for the club, being blocked at the left-back position by World Cup champion Fabio Grosso, and left the club in January. On 7 January 2008, Belhadj signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with his former club Lens for a fee of €3.6 million. Six months after he left Lyon they won the 2007–08 Ligue 1 title, to which Belhadj had contributed 9 appearances.

Portsmouth

On 1 September 2008, Belhadj joined

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

on a season-long loan with an option sign permanently. He made his Portsmouth debut on 13 September coming on as a substitute against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

at Fratton Park where Portsmouth went from a goal down to come back and win 2–1, with Belhadj playing a key role on the left with

Armand Traoré Armand Mouhamed Traoré (born 8 October 1989) is a former professional footballer who played as a left back. Traoré is a product of the Arsenal Academy. Born in France, he represented France at under-19 and under-21 levels, but since opted ...

. He also started in Portsmouth's first ever European match, a 2–0 win over

Vitória de Guimarães Vitoria or Vitória may refer to : People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Steven Vitória ...

and set

Jermain Defoe Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He also played for the England national team. Defoe began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team aged 14, be ...

up with a cross. He also scored a long range goal against Sunderland away from home in a 2–1 win, which was the first win for new manager

Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. He spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre back at Arsenal, making 672 t ...

. Belhadj played a part in Portsmouth's 2–2 draw against

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

. On 30 December, Belhadj signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Portsmouth, costing €4.5 million paid to Lens, keeping him at the club until 2013. He officially became a Portsmouth player on 1 January 2009 when the winter transfer window opened. On 27 January 2009, Belhadj was sent off for the first time for Portsmouth when he picked up 2 yellow cards in the 1–0 defeat against Aston Villa. Although he has not always kept a first team place, his recall to face

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

on 20 December 2009 was an inspired move by

Avram Grant Avraham "Avram" Grant ( he, אברהם "אברם" גרנט; born Avraham Granat; ) is an Israeli professional football manager. He has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, winning a number of national league and cup ...

as Belhadj was able to keep former Pompey favourite

Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was ...

under control. Belhadj scored the first goal in the game. A highlight of the 2009–10 season for Belhadj was a goal against local rivals

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

on 13 February 2010. Belhadj's last appearance for Portsmouth was as a substitute in the

2010 FA Cup final The 2010 FA Cup Final was the 129th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic football cup competition. The match took place on 15 May 2010, at Wembley Stadium, London, in front of a crowd of over 88,000 and a British television audience ...

Al Sadd

During the 2011 summer transfer market several clubs showed interest, such as Celtic, Wigan and Wolves with Al Sadd rejecting all proposals as they viewed Belhadj as an important member of the team. He helped guide his team to the

2011 AFC Champions League The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title. The winners, Al-Sadd qualified for ...

title, defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final where he scored the game winning penalty in the

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

. In January 2013, Belhadj was invited by

Lekhwiya Al-Duhail Sports Club ( ar, نادي الدحيل الرياضي), formerly Lekhwiya SC, is a Qatari sports club, best known for its football team, which plays in the Qatar Stars League. The club is based in the Duhail district in the city ...

to play in a friendly against

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

Return to France

For the 2021–22 season, he returned to Sedan, before leaving the club to reunite with his family in Qatar in late November 2021.

Muaither

On 19 January 2022,

has signed Belhadj.

International career

Belhadj began his international career in 2000 by representing France at the Under-18 level, making just two appearances for the team. On 30 March 2004, Belhadj made his unofficial debut for the Algerian national team in a 0–0 friendly against

club R.A.A. Louviéroise. On 28 April 2004, he made his official debut for the team in a friendly against China. On 5 June 2007, Belhadj got his first international goal in a friendly 4–3 loss to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He scored two goals in that game beating goalkeeper

Roberto Abbondanzieri Roberto Carlos "Pato" Abbondanzieri (born Abbondancieri on 19 August 1972) is an Argentine professional former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent most of his career at Boca Juniors in his homeland, as well as Getafe of La Liga and ...

twice from free kicks. At the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, he was sent off in the semi-final against

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

with a straight card and received a two match competitive international suspension, ruling him out of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. Since the 2010 World Cup and signing with Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League, Belhadj has seen his place at left-back for the national side slip away to

Djamel Mesbah Djamel Eddine Mesbah ( ar, جمال الدين مصباح; born 9 October 1984) is an Algerian former professional footballer who last played as a left back for Étoile Carouge. An Algerian international, Mesbah was a member of the Algeria na ...

, ever since his calamitous appearance against the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. On 4 May 2012, Belhadj announced his international retirement.

International goals

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

Honours

Sedan *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

runner-up: 2004–05 Lens * Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2007–08 Portsmouth *

runner-up: 2009–10 Al-Sadd * Qatar Stars League:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Emir of Qatar Cup Emir of Qatar Cup ( ar, كأس أمير قطر), also known as the Emir Cup, but changed to Amir Cup starting in 2019, is an association football tournament played every season by 18 first and second division teams. The most successful is Al Sad ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015 * Qatari Sheikh Jassim Cup:

Qatari Stars Cup The Qatari Stars Cup is a Qatari football competition played during the Qatar Stars League season known as Ooredoo Cup due to sponsorship reasons. The knockout competition, which involves a round-robin league structure, was first started in 2009 ...

: 2010 * AFC Champions League: 2011 Al-Sailiya *Qatari Stars Cup:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

Individual * Ligue 2 Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06 *

CAF Team of the Year The CAF Team of the Year is an annual football award given by the Confederation of African Football during the CAF Awards. In 2007, the CAF did not choose the team of the year, but rather the best ten players of the last fifty years. The ten pla ...

: 2009 *Qatar Stars League Player of the Year: 2013–14

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belhadj, Nadir 1982 births Living people People from Saint-Claude, Jura Sportspeople from Jura (department) French footballers France youth international footballers Algerian footballers Algeria international footballers Association football defenders RC Lens players FC Gueugnon players CS Sedan Ardennes players Olympique Lyonnais players Portsmouth F.C. players Al Sadd SC players Al-Sailiya SC players Muaither SC players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Premier League players Qatar Stars League players Qatari Second Division players 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 FIFA World Cup players Algerian expatriate footballers French expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Qatar Algerian expatriate sportspeople in England Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar French expatriate sportspeople in England French expatriate sportspeople in Qatar French sportspeople of Algerian descent FA Cup Final players Footballers from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté