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Lakhdar Belloumi
	Belloumi in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth	29 December 1958 (age 66)
Place of birth	Mascara, Algeria
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1973–1974	OS Mascara
Senior career*
Years	Team
1974–1976	OS Mascara
1976–1977	SKAF El-Khemis
1977–1978	GCB Mascara
1978–1979	MP Oran
1979–1981	MP Alger
1981–1987	GCR Mascara
1987–1988	Mouloudia d'Oran
1988	Al-Arabi SC
1989–1990	M. Oran / MC Oran
1990–1991	GC Mascara
1991–1992	USM Bel Abbès
1992–1993	GC Mascara
1993–1994	MC Oran
1994–1996	GC Mascara
1996	MC Oran
1997	GC Mascara
1997–1998	ASM Oran
1998–1999	GC Mascara
Total
International career
1974–1977	Algeria U17
1977–1978	Algeria U20
1979–1980	Algeria military
1978–1989	Algeria
1989	Algeria futsal
Managerial career
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)
Medal record
Player
MC Oran
GC Mascara
Algeria
Manager
MC Oran
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lakhdar Belloumi (Arabic: لخضر بلومي; born on 29 December 1958) is an Algerian former football player and manager. A former attacking midfielder, he is widely considered the best Algerian player of all time and one of the best players in Africa.^[1]^[2] He is said to have invented the "Blind Pass".^[3] He was named the fourth-best African player of the century by IFFHS.^[4] He holds the record as the most capped Algerian player with 100 national caps^[5] (147 caps not recognized by FIFA)^[6] and is also the third best goalscorer of the Algerian national team in all time with 28 goals^[7] (34 goals not recognized by FIFA).^[8]

Belloumi's goal against reigning European champions West Germany earned Algeria a stunning 2–1 victory in their World Cup debut in Spain '82.^[9]

Club career

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".^[9]

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 Pelé, as a fantastic player.

Belloumi with MC Oran in 1978–79
Belloumi with GC Mascara in 1984

International career

Belloumi has a total of 147 caps and 34 goals for Algeria national team but only 100 caps and 28 goals are recognized by FIFA.^[6]^[8] 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). 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.

Controversy

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.^[10]^[11]^[12]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup^[a]		League cup^[b]		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
OS Mascara	1974–75	Division H					–		–
OS Mascara	1975–76	Division H					–		–
SKAF El-Khemis	1976–77	Algerian Division 2					–		–
GCB Mascara	1977–78	Algerian Division 2					–		–
MP Oran	1978–79	Algerian Division 1	25	11			–		–
MP Alger	1979–80	Algerian Division 1	10	4	0	0	–		4	!15	9
MP Alger	1980–81	Algerian Division 1	9	3	2	0	–		1	!12	3
GCR Mascara	1981–82	Algerian Division 1			3	1	–		–
	1982–83		15	3			–		–
	1983–84				?	1	–		–
	1984–85				?	1	–		2	0
	1985–86				?	0	–		–
	1986–87		30	8	1	1	–		–		30	9
Mouloudia d'Oran	1987–88	Algerian Division 1	30		4	2	–		–		35
Al-Arabi	1988	Qatar Stars League	2	2			–		–
Mouloudia d'Oran	1988–89	Algerian Division 1			?	2	–		2	0
MC Oran	1989–90	Algerian Division 1	?	6	–		–		6	1		7
GC Mascara	1990–91	Algerian Division 2					–		–
USM Bel-Abbès	1991–92	Algerian Division 1			?	1
GC Mascara	1992–93	Algerian Division 2			–		–		–
MC Oran	1993–94	Algerian Division 1			?	1	–		4	5
GC Mascara	1994–95	Algerian Division 1					–		–
GC Mascara	1995–96	Algerian Division 2					–		–
MC Oran	1996	Algerian Division 1	11	2	0	0	–		–		11	2
GC Mascara	1997	Algerian Division 2	13	3	?	1	–		–			4
ASM Oran	1997–98	Algerian Division 2	17	9					–
GC Mascara	1998–99	Algerian Division 1	25	5	?	0	–		–			5
Career total

^ Includes Algerian Cup, Qatar Emir Cup
^ Includes Algerian League Cup, Qatari Super Cup

International

Lakhdar Belloumi scored 28 goals in 100 capes with the national team. He scored too six more goals with 47 more caps that are not recognized by FIFA because matches played and goals scored against clubs or against not a full national teams. He scored against Bałtyk Gdynia in 1979,^[13] Stade Brestois and Olympique Lyonnais in 1982,^[14] Racing Paris in 1983,^[15] FC Carl Zeiss Jena in 1984^[16] and Videoton FC in 1987.^[17]

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[18]
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Algeria	1978	4	1
	1979	11	5
	1980	11	4
	1981	9	6
	1982	10	2
	1983	10	2
	1984	10	3
	1985	3	1
	1986	6	1
	1987	10	1
	1988	7	2
	1989	9	0
Total		100	28

Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Belloumi goal.

List of international goals scored by Lakhdar Belloumi^[19]
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	17 October 1978	Stade du 17 Juin, Constantine, Algeria	Congo	1–0	3–0	Friendly
2	5 April 1979	Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria	Mali	1–0	1–0	1980 Summer Olympics qualification
3	24 June 1979	Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria	Libya	1–0	3–1	1980 African Cup of Nations qualification
4	27 September 1979	Stadion Rade Končar, Šibenik, Yugoslavia	Yugoslavia	1–0	2–3	1979 Mediterranean Games
5	29 September 1979	Stadion Poljud, Split, Yugoslavia	Greece	1–0	2–1	1979 Mediterranean Games
6	21 December 1979	Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria	Morocco	1–0	3–0	1980 Summer Olympics qualification
7	13 March 1980	Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, Nigeria	Morocco	1–0	1–0	1980 African Cup of Nations
8	16 March 1980	Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, Nigeria	Guinea	2–0	3–2	1980 African Cup of Nations
9	20 July 1980	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Soviet Union	Syria	1–0	3–0	1980 Summer Olympics
10	24 July 1980	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Soviet Union	Spain	1–1	1–1	1980 Summer Olympics
11	1 May 1981	Stade du 17 Juin, Constantine, Algeria	Niger	2–0	4–0	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	1 May 1981	Stade du 17 Juin, Constantine, Algeria	Niger	4–0	4–0	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	30 August 1981	Stade du 19 Juin, Oran, Algeria	Upper Volta	3–0	7–0	1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
14	30 August 1981	Stade du 19 Juin, Oran, Algeria	Upper Volta	4–0	7–0	1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
15	10 October 1981	Surulere Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria	Nigeria	1–0	2–0	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
16	30 October 1981	Stade du 17 Juin, Constantine, Algeria	Nigeria	1–0	2–1	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	11 February 1982	El Molinón, Gijón, Spain	Spain Ol.	1–0	2–0	Friendly
18	16 June 1982	El Molinón, Gijón, Spain	West Germany	2–1	2–1	1982 FIFA World Cup
19	11 September 1983	Stade El Abdi, El Jadida	Tunisia	1–2	2–3	1983 Mediterranean Games
20	28 October 1983	Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria	Libya	1–0	2–0	1984 Summer Olympics qualification
21	5 March 1984	Stade Bouaké, Bouaké, Ivory Coast	Malawi	2–0	3–0	1984 African Cup of Nations
22	17 March 1984	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast	Egypt	2–0	3–1	1984 African Cup of Nations
23	10 October 1984	Otto-Grotewohl-Stadion, Aue, East Germany	East Germany	1–4	2–5	Friendly
24	8 March 1985	Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria	Mauritania	1–0	4–0	1986 African Cup of Nations qualification
25	14 December 1986	Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria	Ivory Coast	1–0	2–1	Friendly
26	11 January 1987	Stade El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia	Tunisia	1–0	2–0	1987 All-Africa Games qualification
27	13 March 1988	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Ivory Coast	1–0	1–1	1988 African Cup of Nations
28	26 March 1988	Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco	Morocco	1–1	4–3	1988 African Cup of Nations