Djamel Abdoun

Djamel Abdoun

Abdoun playing for Olympiacos
Personal information
Date of birth	(1986-02-14) 14 February 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
2002	Paris Saint-Germain
2003	Ajaccio
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2008	Ajaccio	12	(2)
2007	→ Manchester City (loan)	0	(0)
2007–2008	→ Sedan (loan)	33	(5)
2008–2010	Nantes	50	(3)
2010–2011	Kavala	26	(3)
2011–2013	Olympiacos	50	(9)
2013–2015	Nottingham Forest	22	(1)
2015	→ Lokeren (loan)	4	(0)
2015–2016	Veria	15	(3)
Total		212	(26)
International career
2003–2004	France U18	4	(0)
2004–2005	France U19	13	(2)
2005–2006	France U20	8	(0)
2010–2016	Algeria	11	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Djamel Abdoun (born 14 February 1986) is an Algerian retired professional footballer who played as a winger.

In the summer of 2011, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos, on a free transfer from Kavala, due to their relegation to the fourth division. He has since won the double with Olympiacos, winning the 2011–12 Superleague Greece and the 2012 Greek Cup. In the summer of 2013, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Football League Championship club Nottingham Forest.

Abdoun is a former French youth international and was a part of the team that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, held in Northern Ireland and the 2007 Toulon Tournament. He opted to play for Algeria at senior level in September 2009, taking advantage of FIFA's new ruling, allowing him to change his national allegiance despite being older than 21 years of age. ^[1] He made his debut for Algeria in a 0–0 group game at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations on 18 January 2010, against Angola. ^[2] He represented Algeria at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, where Algeria finished fourth, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Personal

Born in France to Algerian parents, Abdoun grew up in the eastern suburbs of Paris in the commune of Montreuil. His parents are originally from the villages of Tifrit and Biziou in the commune of Akbou, Béjaïa, in the Petite Kabylie region of Algeria. ^{[3] [4]}

Club career

Abdoun started his career as a youth player for Paris Saint-Germain in 2002, where he was released at the end of the season. In 2003, he signed for Ajaccio where he made only 12 appearances in four seasons, scoring two goals.

Abdoun signed for Manchester City on loan in January 2007. ^[5] He made only one appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute on 28 January 2007 in a 3–1 FA Cup win against Southampton. ^[6] He returned to Ajaccio at the end of the season after Manchester City chose not to take up the option of making his move permanent.

Kavala

On 24 August 2010, Abdoun joined Greek side Kavala from Nantes, signing a three-year contract with the club. The details of the transfer were not disclosed. ^[7] In his first season with Kavala, Abdoun finished as the top assist man in the Greek Super League with eight assists in 26 matches. He also scored three goals and was named as the second best player in the league behind Ariel Ibagaza of Olympiacos. ^[8] On 23 May 2011, Abdoun's agent, Karim Aklil, announced that the player was very close to signing with Panathinaikos. ^[9] However, on 25 August 2011, he began training with Olympiacos and passed the traditional medical visit. ^[10]

Olympiacos

On 31 August 2011, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos, joining them on a free transfer from Kavala after they were relegated to the fourth division. ^[11] He scored his first goal against PAOK and his second goal against Panathinaikos. He played 29 games and scored four times in total in his first season at Olympiacos.

Abdoun managed to score his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, in a 2–1 home loss against German side Schalke 04. He also scored from the penalty spot against Aris Thessaloniki. His next two goals came again from the penalty spot; against AEK Athens away and Platanias at home. He scored his next goal against PAS Giannina in a 2–0 home win, which was assisted by Ariel Ibagaza. Days later, he scored against Atromitos from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home loss. On 27 February, Abdoun scored a goal from a free-kick in a 1–0 away victory over PAS Giannina in a Greek Cup match. His next goal came against AEK Athens in a 3–0 home win. His last goal for the season came against Platanias in a 4–0 away win.

Nottingham Forest

On 25 July 2013, Nottingham Forest Chairman, Fawaz Al-Hasawi, announced the signing of Abdoun on a 3-year contract. ^[12]

Djamel Abdoun scored his first goal in a home FA Cup Third Round tie against West Ham United. The goal came from a penalty awarded for a challenge on Jamie Paterson. Abdoun was insistent he was taking the penalty, even arguing with his fellow team-mates on the pitch, and his persistence paid off as he scored with an audacious chip from the spot. Forest went on to win the game 5–0. ^[13]

On 10 July 2014, Abdoun was informed he was free to find a new club and that he "had no future at Forest". ^[14] Since then he has not played for Forest.

As Abdoun failed to find a team, he was loaned to Lokeren.

Abdoun's contract was mutually terminated on 30 July 2015. ^[15]

Veria

On 20 July 2015, Abdoun was approached by the Superleague side, Veria and her president, Theodoros Karipidis, in order to sign a contract for the club. Although, the player was positive playing for Veria, the offer made to him was turned down as it did not financially satisfy the player, he was offered about €250,000. ^[16] A week later, Veria returned with a new improved offer. ^[17] A day later, on 28 July 2015, Abdoun came in an oral agreement with the Macedonian club. ^[18] Abdoun officially signed his contract on 8 August 2015. ^[19]

Abdoun debuted on 23 August 2015 where he assisted Veria's equalizing goal on 1–1 home draw on season premiere against PAS Giannina with a free kick. On 29 August 2015, Abdoun scored his first goal for Veria in an away match against Panthrakikos after a Thomas Nazlidis' long ball. He scored with a penalty kick his second goal in the same game. He named man of the match. ^[20] On 4 October 2015, he scored from the penalty spot, giving the victory by 1–0 in an away game against Kalloni. ^[21]

Abdoun was released on a free transfer from Veria on 31 August 2016.

International career

Abdoun represented France internationally at the Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 level. His most notable achievement was winning the 2007 Toulon Tournament with the French Under-18 squad. ^[22]

However, being of Algerian descent, Abdoun holds dual nationality, ^[23] and was also eligible to represent Algeria. On 15 September 2009, he was selected for the first time by head coach Rabah Saâdane to join the ranks of the Algeria national football team for a qualifier against Rwanda. ^[24]

On 18 January 2010, Abdoun made his debut for the Algerian National Team coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute in a group game against Angola at the 2010 African Cup of Nations. He was named as part of the Algeria squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. ^[25]

Career statistics

As of 19 March 2016 ^{[26] [27] [28]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Ajaccio	2003–04	Ligue 1	1	0	0	0	0	0	–		1	0
	2004–05		2	0	0	0	0	0	–		2	0
	2005–06		7	2	2	0	0	0	–		9	2
	2006–07	Ligue 2	2	0	0	0	0	0	–		2	0
	Total		12	2	2	0	0	0	–		14	2
Manchester City (loan)	2006–07	Premier League	0	0	1	0	0	0	–		1	0
Sedan	2007–08	Ligue 2	33	5	5	2	1	0	–		39	7
Nantes	2008–09	Ligue 1	22	1	1	0	0	0	–		23	1
	2009–10	Ligue 2	27	2	0	0	1	0	–		28	2
	2010–11	Ligue 2	1	0	0	0	0	0	–		1	0
	Total		50	3	1	0	1	0	–		52	3
Kavala	2010–11	Super League Greece	26	3	2	0	–		–		28	3
Olympiacos	2011–12	Super League Greece	23	2	6	2	–		6 [lower-alpha 1]	0	35	4
	2012–13		27	7	4	3	–		7 [lower-alpha 2]	1	38	11
	Total		50	9	10	5	–		13	1	73	15
Nottingham Forest	2013–14	Championship	22	1	4	1	1	0	–		27	2
	2014–15		0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	Total		22	1	4	1	1	0	–		27	2
Lokeren (loan)	2014–15	Belgian Pro League	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Veria	2015–16	Super League Greece	15	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	17	3
Career total			210	26	26	8	3	0	13	1	252	35

1. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, two in UEFA Europa League
2. Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Olympiacos

• Super League Greece: 2011–12, 2012–13
• Greek Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13

France

• UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: 2005
• Toulon Tournament: 2007

Individual

• Super League Greece Player of the Season: 2012–13 ^[29]
• Super League Greece top assist provider: 2010–11, ^[30] 2011–12, ^[31] 2012–13 ^[32]
• Greek Cup top assist provider: 2011–12 ^[33]

See also

• Maghrebian community of Paris

References

1. "EN : La FIFA qualifie Abdoun pour l'EN d'Algérie - Football algérien". Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
2. DZFOOTBALL. "Les statistiques de Abdoun Djamel - جمال عبدون- Equipe d'Algérie de football" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
3. "Le Buteur :. Abdoun : "Je ferai deux rakâat dans ma chambre pour remercier Allah"". Archived from the original on 10 October 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
4. http://news.fibladi.com/algerie-sport/?ida=39518%5B%5D
5. "Stu has his nose against window". Manchester Evening News. 13 January 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
6. "Djamel pleased with Blues debut". Manchester Evening News. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
7. Algeria's Abdoun joins Greek side
8. Abdoun 2e joueur de l'année en Grèce Archived 9 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
9. Abdoun très proche du Panathinaikos ? Archived 29 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine ; DZFoot, 23 May 2011
10. Abdoun signera à l'Olympiakos demain Archived 16 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine ; DZFoot, 25 August 2011
11. Verts : Djamel Abdoun officiellement à l'Olympiakos Archived 15 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine ; DZFoot, 31 August 2011
12. "Djamel Abdoun: Nottingham Forest sign Algeria winger". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
13. Boylan, James (5 January 2014). "Watch: Hammers suckered by audacious Forest penalty" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
14. "Djamel Abdoun told he is free to leave Nottingham Forest by new boss Stuart Pearce". 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
15. NFFC. "Radoslaw Majewski and Djamal Abdoun leave Nottingham Forest" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
16. Interactive, Pegasus. "Θέλει για "βασιλιά" τον Αμπντούν". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
17. "ΒΕΡΟΙΑ: Επανέρχεται δυναμικά για Αμπντούν!!" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
18. "Έκλεισε η... βόμβα Αμπντούν στη Βέροια!" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
19. Antonis. "Ποδοσφαιριστής της Βέροιας ο Djamal Abdoun". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
20. "Διπλό η Βέροια με βασιλιά Αμπντούν 2-0 τον Πανθρακικό" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
21. "Στις καθυστερήσεις με πέναλτι, η Βέροια 1-0 την Καλλονή" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
22. "La fiche de Djamel ABDOUN". Archived from the original on 13 December 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
23. "City star fined after airport row". Manchester Evening News. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
24. "CM-CAN 2010 : La présélection pour le Rwanda" . Retrieved 13 August 2016.
25. "Official Players List" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
26. "Djamel Abdoun". Football Database.eu. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
27. "Abdoun French stats". LFP . Retrieved 21 July 2013.
28. "Djamel Abdoun UEFA stats". UEFA . Retrieved 21 July 2013.
29. "Σούπερ Λίγκα | Ποδόσφαιρο | Τα βραβεία Nova - Superleague 2013 - Novasports.gr". 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
30. "Greek Super League Statistics".
31. "Στατιστικά κορυφαίων παικτών ανά κατηγορία 2011-2012 | Super League Ελλάδα". www.slgr.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
32. "Στατιστικά κορυφαίων παικτών ανά κατηγορία 2012-2013 | Super League Ελλάδα". www.slgr.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
33. "Greek Cup 2012 top assists table - Page 1". www.besoccer.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

External links

• Djamel Abdoun at Soccerbase
• Djamel Abdoun – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)