Zidane Mebarakou ( ar, زيدان مباراكو; Tamazight: ⵣⵉⴷⴰⵏ ⵎⴻⴱⴰⵔⴰⴽⵓ; born 3 January 1989) is an Algerian 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 le ...

who plays as a

centre-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 ...

for

Olympique Akbou Olympique Akbou ( ar, أولمبي أقبو; Kabyle: Ulembi Aqbu; Tamazight: ⵓⵍⴻⵎⴱⵉ ⴰⵇⵠⵓ), known as O Akbou or OA for short, is an Algerian football club located in Akbou, Béjaïa Province, Kabylia. The club was founded in ...

Personal life

Mebarakou is from Barbacha, 40 km south of the city of Béjaïa in

Kabylia Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...

Career

He made his professional debut with local club

JSM Béjaïa Jeunesse Sportive Madinet de Béjaïa ( ar, الشبيبة الرياضية لمدينة بجاية), known as JSM Béjaïa or simply JSMB for short, is an Algerian football club based in Béjaïa. The club was founded in 1936 and its colours are ...

. He moved to MO Béjaïa in summer 2014. At his new club, he won the

Algerian Cup The Algerian Cup ( ar, كأس الجزائر) also known the Republic Cup ( ar, كأس الجمهورية), is a football competition in Algeria, pitting regional teams against each other. It was established in October 1962, three months after in ...

, scoring in the semi-final against ES Sétif. At the end of his first year at the club, he was voted player of the season in an online survey. In 2016, he joined

MC Alger Mouloudia Club d'Alger ( ar, نادي مولودية الجزائر), referred to as MC Alger or MCA for short, is an Algerian football club based in Algiers. The club was founded in 1921 and its colours are red, green and white. Their home sta ...

alongside teammate Zahir Zerdab on a two-year deal. After 2 years and a half in the Algerian capital, he joined

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...

side Al-Wehda in January 2019. He returned to

during the following transfer window after Saudi club owners did not wish to keep him. In 2020, he joined CS Constantine, where he would play for two years. Having spent 6 months without a club, Mebarakou signed with third-tier promotion contender

in January 2023. On April 28, 2023, he scored the 2nd goal in a 3–0 win against USM Khenchela in the

round of 16, earning them a historic qualification to the quarterfinals.

International career

His performances at MO Béjaïa attracted the eyes of coach

Christian Gourcuff Christian Jean Gourcuff (born 5 April 1955) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who was most recently the manager of Ligue 1 club FC Nantes, Nantes. Club career During his ...

. Nonetheless, he never played for the national team.

Honours

MO Béjaïa *

: 2014–15 *

Algerian Super Cup The Algerian Super Cup ( ar, كأس الجزائر الممتازة), is an Algerian football competition, held as a game between the reigning champions of the Algerian League and the Algerian Cup. The first edition was held in 1973 and then agai ...

runner-up:

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

MC Alger *

runner-up:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Olympique Akbou *

Algerian Ligue 2 The Algerian Ligue 2, also called Ligue 2 , formerly known as Ligue Professionnelle 2 and Championnat National 2, is the second highest division overall in the Algerian football league system. It was professional from 2010 to 2020. History The ...

: 2023–24 (Center-East Group) * Algerian Ligue 3: 2022–23 (Center-East Group)

References

External links

* 1989 births Living people Men's association football defenders Algerian men's footballers Algerian expatriate men's footballers MC Alger players JSM Béjaïa players MO Béjaïa players Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Saudi Pro League players Al Wehda FC players 21st-century Algerian people {{Algeria-footy-defender-stub