Sofiane Hanni

Sofiane Hanni ( ar, سفيان هاني; born 29 December 1990) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatari club Al-Ahli and the Algeria national team.

After starting out at Nantes in France, he went on to compete professionally in Turkey, Belgium and Russia. Hanni is an Algeria international, gaining his first cap for the full side in June 2016, aged 25, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Seychelles. Hanni played in a different types of the midfield position, mostly attacking.

Club career

Nantes

Born in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, Hanni started out his career at Ivry, where his father was coaching when he first joined, and Boulogne-Billancourt before joining FC Nantes in 2005. When he turned eighteen, Hanni signed his first professional contract with FC Nantes.

In the last game of the 2008–09 season against Auxerre, Hanni was called up to the first team for the first team by Manager Élie Baup, appearing as an unused substitute. Hanni made his professional debut on 1 December 2009 in a league match against Sedan, making his only appearance in the 2009–10 season.

On 11 June 2010, Hanni was slated to sign a one-year contract with hometown club Paris Saint-Germain. However, a week later, it was announced that he would not be joining the club due to a disagreement between the club and the player's father. It wasn't until on 12 February 2011 when he made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 loss against Vannes OC. Hanni made his first starts for FC Nantes, playing 71 minutes before being substituted, in a 0–0 draw against Châteauroux. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Hanni went on to make three appearances for the side. Following this, Hanni was not offered a new contract by FC Nantes, which disappointed him, as he was expected to succeed at the club and experienced this as a failure. Despite this, he was asked about the memories at FC Nantes and responded: "Good. It was there that I got to know the world and the demands of the professional world."

Kayseri Erciyesspor

After leaving FC Nantes, Hanni revealed that his agent offered him a move to Turkey, but he wasn't interested. However, Hanni ultimately give in to a trial at after there was no offers in his homeland, France, and went on a trial at second Turkish club division side Kayseri Erciyesspor. He quickly impressed the side at the trial, resulting in him signing for the club."/>

Hanni made his Kayseri Erciyesspor debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Bucaspor on 10 September 2011 in the opening game of the season. It wasn't until on 25 September 2011 when he scored his first goal for Kayseri Erciyesspor, in a 2–1 win against Kartalspor. Seven days later on 2 October 2011, Hanni scored his second goal for the club, in a 1–0 win against Karşıyaka. In a follow–up match against Çaykur Rizespor on 15 October 2011, he set up two goals for Gökhan Kaba, who scored twice, in a 4–0 win. He later added two more goals for the side later in the year. Hanni then went three months without scoring; this lasted until 4 March 2012 when he scored in a 2–0 win against İstanbul Güngörenspor. He then went on a goal scoring spree between 1 April 2012 and 14 April 2012, including scoring twice against Göztepe. Hanni scored his tenth goal of the season, as well as, setting up the club's second goal of the game, in a 2–0 win against Sakaryaspor on 5 May 2012. Having established himself in the first team regular for the side, playing in the attacking midfield position, Hanni finished his first season at Kayseri Erciyesspor, making thirty–two appearances and scoring ten times in all competitions.

In the 2012–13 season, Hanni continued to retain his place in the first team, playing in the attacking midfield position. Hanni scored his first goals for the club, in a 2–0 against Göztepe on 14 October 2012. Throughout the 2012–13 season, he began to play a role for the side when he assisted goals that saw him assisted sixteen times. Hanni set up five goals in three matches between 11 November 2012 and 24 November 2012, including twice against Kartalspor. He also set up two goals in two separate matches earlier in the season. It wasn't until in the last game of the season against Şanlıurfaspor when he scored twice once again, in a 3–1 win. As a result, Kayseri Erciyesspor were TFF First League champions after finishing first place in the league, resulting in their promotion to Süper Lig. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Hanni went on to make thirty–four appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

Ankaraspor

Over the summer transfer window, Hanni was linked a move away from Kayseri Erciyesspor, with several Turkish clubs, including Balıkesirspor, interested in signing him. It was announced on 7 September 2013 that Hanni joined the second Turkish division side, Ankaraspor A.Ş., signing a four–year contract.

Hanni made his Ankaraspor debut, coming on as a first half substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Tavşanlı Linyitspor on 14 September 2013. In a follow–up match against Fethiyespor, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win. It wasn't until on 2 December 2013 when Hanni scored a brace, as well as, setting the other two goals, in a 4–0 win against Şanlıurfaspor. A month later, he scored his fourth goal, in a 1–0 win against Manisaspor

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