Lakhdar Belloumi
Lakhdar Belloumi is an Algerian former midfielder who became the first Algerian to be named African Footballer of the Year, in 1981. At the 1982 World Cup he scored the winning goal against West Germany. He was born on 29 December 1958 in Mascara.
Lakhdar Belloumi is an Algerian former midfielder who became the first Algerian to be named African Footballer of the Year, in 1981. At the 1982 World Cup he scored the winning goal against West Germany. He was born on 29 December 1958 in Mascara.
Belloumi came from a modest family; his father was a farm worker. He started at Olympique Sempac Mascara and was called up to the junior national team in 1977.
His club career was shared mainly between GC Mascara and MC Oran. He won the Algerian league with GC Mascara in 1984 and with MC Oran in 1988. He stayed in Algeria despite interest from Barcelona and Juventus.
Famous for his blind passes, he played in the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations final. On 16 June 1982, in Gijón, he scored moments after the German equaliser, from a cross by Salah Assad, and Algeria won 2-1.
He also played at the 1986 World Cup, and between 1978 and 1989 he won 100 caps and scored 28 goals. He was the first Algerian to reach 100 caps.
After his playing days he coached MC Oran and GC Mascara. In November 2025 he received the Legend Trophy at the Fennec d'Or ceremony in Paris.
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