Djamel Abdoun (born 14 February 1986) is an Algerian retired 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 lea ...

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 The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

club

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

. 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 Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and the 2007 Toulon Tournament. He opted to play for

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

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. He made his debut for Algeria in a 0–0 group game at the

2010 Africa Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2 ...

on 18 January 2010, against

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. He represented Algeria at the

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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in the commune of Montreuil. His parents are originally from the villages of Tifrit and Biziou in the commune of Akbou,

Béjaïa Béjaïa ( ; , , ), formerly known as Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean seaport, port city and communes of Algeria, commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province. Geography Location Béjaïa owes its ...

, in the Petite Kabylie region of Algeria.

Club career

Abdoun started his career as a youth player for

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

in 2002, where he was released at the end of the season. In 2003, he signed for

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French language, French: ; or ; , locally: ; ) is the capital and largest city of Corsica, France. It forms a communes of France, French commune, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Corse-du-Sud, and head o ...

where he made only 12 appearances in four seasons, scoring two goals. Abdoun signed for

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

on loan in January 2007. He made only one appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute on 28 January 2007 in a 3–1

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

win against

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. 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 Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, signing a three-year contract with the club. The details of the transfer were not disclosed. In his first season with Kavala, Abdoun finished as the top assist man in the

Greek Super League The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

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 Ariel Miguel Santiago Ibagaza (born 27 October 1976) is an Argentine professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. Nicknamed ''El Caño'', his usual position was attacking midfielder, and h ...

of Olympiacos. On 23 May 2011, Abdoun's agent, Karim Aklil, announced that the player was very close to signing with Panathinaikos. However, on 25 August 2011, he began training with Olympiacos and passed the traditional medical visit.

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. He scored his first goal against

PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

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 The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

, in a 2–1 home loss against German side Schalke 04. He also scored from the penalty spot against

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki (), is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club founded on 25 March 1914 in Thessaloniki. Nicknamed ''God of War'', Aris was one of the strongest Greek clubs during t ...

. 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 The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

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,

Chairman, Fawaz Al-Hasawi, announced the signing of Abdoun on a 3-year contract. Djamel Abdoun scored his first goal in a home

Third Round tie against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

. 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. On 10 July 2014, Abdoun was informed he was free to find a new club and that he "had no future at Forest". He never played for Forest again.. As Abdoun failed to find a team, he was loaned to Lokeren. Abdoun's contract was mutually terminated on 30 July 2015.

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. A week later, Veria returned with a new improved offer. A day later, on 28 July 2015, Abdoun came in an oral agreement with the Macedonian club. Abdoun officially signed his contract on 8 August 2015. 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. On 4 October 2015, he scored from the penalty spot, giving the victory by 1–0 in an away game against Kalloni. 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. However, being of

n descent, Abdoun holds dual nationality, and was also eligible to represent

. 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 The Algeria national football team () represents Algeria in men's international Association football, football, and is governed by the Algerian Football Federation. The team plays their home matches at the Stade du 5 Juillet, 5 July Stadium in ...

for a qualifier against

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. 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

at the

2010 African Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange (telecommunications), Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial association football, football championship of Africa (Confederat ...

. He was named as part of the Algeria squad for the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

Career statistics

Honours

Olympiacos *

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

: 2011–12, 2012–13 *

: 2011–12, 2012–13 France * UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship:

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

* Toulon Tournament:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Individual *

Player of the Season: 2012–13 *

top assist provider: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 *

top assist provider: 2011–12

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdoun, Djamel 1986 births Living people Footballers from Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis French men's footballers Men's association football midfielders AC Ajaccio players Manchester City F.C. players FC Nantes players CS Sedan Ardennes players Algerian men's footballers Algeria men's international footballers 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Kabyle people 2010 FIFA World Cup players Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in England Algerian expatriate sportspeople in England Super League Greece players Kavala F.C. players Olympiacos F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players English Football League players K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen players Veria F.C. players Belgian Pro League players France men's youth international footballers Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium French expatriate men's footballers Algerian expatriate men's footballers French expatriate sportspeople in England French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium French expatriate sportspeople in Greece 21st-century French sportsmen 21st-century Algerian sportsmen