Nadir Belhadj

Who is this?

Nadir Belhadj (Arabic: نذير بلحاج; born 18 June 1982) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. 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 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 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. 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 club Al Sadd in the 2011 Asian Champions League final, by beating South Korean 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 Qatari club since the AFC Champions League started in 2003, and ended five consecutive triumphs for South Korea and Japan.

Career

1. 1982
   Born
2. 1998
   Joined R.C. Lens
3. 2000
   Joined France national under-18 association football team
4. 2002
   Joined FC Gueugnon
5. 2003
   Joined FC Gueugnon
6. 2004
   Joined CS Sedan Ardennes
7. 2004
   Joined Algeria men's national football team
8. 2007
   Joined Olympique Lyonnais
9. 2008
   Joined Portsmouth F.C.
10. 2008
    Joined R.C. Lens
11. 2008
    Joined Portsmouth F.C.
12. 2008
    Joined R.C. Lens
13. 2009
    Joined Portsmouth F.C.
14. 2010
    Joined Al Sadd Sports Club

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Saint-Claude
• •Citizenship: France, Algeria
• •Known as: association football player
• •Sport: association football